Inscape
by ivoryghost
Summary: The Wizarding World as he knew it and loved and cherished would be glazed in darkness, a darkness that had already swallowed Draco whole. He had to save her, she was his light. !Based around Hp7 Rated M!
1. Chapter I: Malfoy Manor

**I do not own Harry Potter, this is simply a fan made piece of fiction and all copyright goes to J..**

**Chapter I: Malfoy Manor**

Draco Malfoy stared into the shining emerald eyes of Harry James Potter. Harry's face was distorted – probably ran into a stinging jinx or poison ivy. His right eye was puffy and closed, his lips pouty and swollen, his scar hidden by the puffiness of his forehead. If it wasn't for Harry's famously emerald orbs gazing at him with a mixture of helplessness and pride and almost desperation, Draco wouldn't have recognised him.

"Well?" Bellatrix drawled, her eyes locked onto Draco, who was still staring intently at Harry with a forlorn expression on his face. Bellatrix looked eager, her long black nails twisted in Harry's messy mop of hair, practically pleading that it was indeed Harry Potter in the Malfoy Manor.

"I can't be sure." Draco whispered. Lucius came up to his shoulder, whispering his name warningly.

"Draco.." Lucius Malfoy looked awful. His once beautifully perfect ivory hair was a mess; tattered and unbrushed, dead and a dirty white. His face was sunken, almost to fit his skull, his features shutting out alarmingly. "Look closely son. If we were the ones..."

Draco tuned out his father's voice. He knew exactly what would happen to all of them if they handed Harry over to the Dark Lord. Forever in his favour. Draco's face cracked as he struggled to gain a smooth expressionless composure. He knew exactly what would happen to Potter, Weasley and Granger if they were to hand Harry over to the Dark Lord. Instant death, and the Wizarding World as he knew it and loved and cherished would be glazed in darkness, a darkness that had already swallowed Draco whole.

"...all would be forgiven, all would be as it was!" His father's voice sharply came into focus as he stood in front of him, Lucius nodding in encouragement at him. Draco nodded back reluctantly.

"Now, we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope, Mr. Malfoy." The Snatcher said from behind father and son, and Draco tensed as he saw his father's expression darken.

"You dare to talk to me like that in my own _house_!" Lucius yelled, his high voice cutting through Draco like a knife as he jumped at the sudden break of tension.

"Lucius!" Narcissa warned, and Draco ached with sadness to hear her voice so full of worry and nothing, for the voice of his mother was long gone. Narcissa moved his father away from him and Draco suddenly felt alone again, as he fixed his grey piercing stare at Harry Potter again.

"Don't be shy, sweetie, come on over." Bellatrix cooed and Draco felt sick to his stomach as he moved forward, crouching down so he was eye level with Harry again. "Now if this isn't who we think it is Draco, and we call him, he'll kill us all. We need to be absolutely sure."

Draco felt his stomach lurch at the words of his aunt. He swallowed painfully. Whether he chose to identify Potter or not, he was still condemning someone to their death tonight. Draco stared into the emerald eye of Harry James Potter again, and he couldn't work out whether or not Potter was staring at him to help him, or whether it was contempt.

"What's wrong with his face?" Draco said, studying his distorted face. He barely heard Bellatrix demanding to know what was wrong with his face, he barely heard the reply from that insolent Snatcher. But then his ears pricked.

"..Ran into a stinging Jinx..Was it you dearie?" Bellatrix turned around, pointing her long, murderous wand at Granger. Draco felt his stomach drop in fear.

Draco looked away from Potter and stood up, standing by his mother. He watched as Bellatrix cackled on her way past Hermione and Ron, who were caught in the grasp of one of the other Snatchers. She stopped suddenly in front of one of the Snatchers, and seemed to forget she went over there for Hermione's wand. Bellatrix stared at the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, held tightly and possessively in his grimy hand.

Barely breathing, Bellatrix asked;

"Where did you get that from?" She stared at him with large black eyes, that darkened immensely at the sight of the sword again. Her long black curls twisted down her sunken face and she breathed in sharply, seething.

"It was in her bag when we searched her-" He gestured to Hermione. "Reckon it's mine now." The Snatcher grinned for a split second before Bellatrix whipped her wand out in front of her, swiftly killing the Snatcher.

Bellatrix stunned another two Snatcher's before grabbing Scabior, the main snatcher, in a binding rope spell around his neck. A snake wrapped around Greyback's neck, hissing and squeezing the life out of him. Bellatrix, now holding the Sword of Gryffindor, ordered everyone out in a high pitched voice that sent shivers down Draco's back. The snatchers ran right out the door without a backwards glance.

"Cissy, put the boys in the cellar." Harry and Ron were dragged across the shiny floor of Malfoy Manor by Narcissa's urging grasp and down stone steps to a metal gate, where they were thrown, unceremoniously into the cellar.

"I want a little conversation with this one." Bellatrix grinned in Hermione's fearful face. "Girl to girl!" She screeched, dragging Hermione by the collar and throwing her onto the floor. Hermione fell, hard, landing on her side. She coughed and rolled over, onto her back, her arms stretched out either side of her.

Bellatrix bent down and straddled her, the weight of her nearly knocking the breath out of Hermione. She trembled in fear, unable to look away from Bellatrix's demented black eyes as she leant over her.

"That sword is meant to be in my fault at Gringotts. Where did you get it?" Bellatrix whispered, her face so close to Hermione's. Hermione sobbed in fear, squeezing her eyes shut, her heart pounding against her chest.

"What else did you and your friends take from my fault?" Bellatrix shouted in Hermione's face, and she sobbed harder, trying to gasp her words out through her chest wracking sobs.

"I didn't take anything! Please. I didn't take anything!" Hermione begged and sobbed. Bellatrix smirked and shook her head.

"I don't believe it!" Bellatrix suddenly moved and grabbed hold of her arm with one hand, the other pushing her head to the side. Bellatrix leant down and stabbed her arm forcefully with her knife, dragging it down her skin, rewarded by a blood curdling scream from Hermione.

Draco looked away from Hermione's withering form on the floor. He tried to block out her screams that pierced his soul as he sat at the little table in the far corner of the room, in vain. He could hear her kicking out, her feet slamming hard against the wooden floor. Hermione's hands were clenched into fists and banging against the floor too, her head shaking back and forth as she screamed.

Draco suddenly jerked at the force of his father's hands either side of his head. Lucius forced Draco's head in Hermione's direction.

"Watch and learn, son." He whispered in his ear, and Draco had no choice but to watch as Hermione screamed and thrashed out in pain at the knife in her arm. Hermione suddenly looked up at him, her mocha orbs swimming with unshed tears.

Hermione stared at him, her screams dying down. She pleaded with him to save her, to do something, _anything_. She screamed again suddenly, squeezing her eyes shut as Bellatrix removed the knife, only to put it back in again. Hermione could feel the knife forming letters on her arm and she screamed again and again, the sound ripping from her throat.

Bellatrix finally leaned away and admired her handiwork. She smirked and backhanded Hermione's face, who jerked back in horror, her head lolling to the side. Hermione shifted her head and gazed down at her arm, the disgusting and weeping letters that formed Mudblood seared her skin. She let a tear fall before she looked away, turning her head right around until she was looking at Malfoy again. He was staring at her arm in horror.

"I want the Goblin!" Bellatrix hissed before she nonchalantly flicked her wand in Hermione's direction. Hermione heard the words, despite them being spoken non verbally before the Cruciatus curse slammed into her.

Hermione screamed and thrashed out and clawed at herself, trying to rip the skin from her body with her nails. The pain was unbearable. Everything; chainsaws, knives, rocks, everything seemed to contact with her body hard, the pressure almost crushing her bones, stretching her muscles. Hermione's back arched alarmingly, her toes curling, her eyes lolling in her aching head that felt like at any moment it was going to burst. Then the pain subsided and Hermione's back landed on the floor again with a sickening crunch.

Draco opened his eyes; he'd had them shut throughout the whole curse that was inflicted upon Hermione. She lay convulsing on the floor, her entire body trembling violently. She suddenly stopped, heaving in a great big gulp of air before falling still.

"Wake up you silly girl." Bellatrix gave her a sharp slap on the cheek and groggily Hermione came through, only to be hit with the curse again. Draco winced and shielded away.

Suddenly there was a bang and Potter and Weasley came running up the stairs. Bellatrix snapped her head up, the curse lifting off Hermione.

"How-wha!" Bellatrix stumbled over her words as Potter stunned Narcissa Malfoy. Draco jumped up angrily, only to back away when he looked at Hermione, who was staring at him intently. It was now or never...

"Stupefy!" Draco yelled, sending his stunning hex towards his father, who wide eyed at Draco was sent backwards.

"Why you little-" Bellatrix started, but she grabbed Hermione before anyone else could even move and had her pressed against her front, her knife to her throat.

Harry looked at Hermione before staring at Draco, who had edged his way over to him.

"What are you _doing_?" Potter hissed at him. Draco was too busy staring at Bellatrix to acknowledge him.

"She is going to die." Bellatrix smirked.

"Over my dead body!" Weasley growled, making a run for Bellatrix, seeming to forget he was a wizard and had a wand. Draco rolled his eyes.

"No Ron-" Harry yelled but it was too late; Ron was suddenly stunned. Bellatrix looked around and Harry stared at Draco.

"What the-"

"If he'd have tried anything, he'd have died as well as Granger."

"Why are you helping?" Potter asked, his face all bright and shiny and new again.

"Potter!" Bellatrix hissed. "Girl! Lift my sleeve up." Hermione, with shaking fingers, did as she was told, and Bellatrix, with a loving look on her face, touched the Dark Mark on her left arm. Draco's eyes widened.

"Because I just am." Draco said as he sent a stunning curse towards Bellatrix, who dodged out the way but threw Hermione in the path of the curse. Draco cursed under his breath and sent another one towards Bellatrix, who dodged that with a simply Protego.

"Get Weasley."

"What about Hermione!" Potter yelled as he tried hoisting his best friend to his feet.

"I'll get her!"

"Dobby!" Draco heard Potter yell. There was a loud crack in the air as Dobby appeared out of thin air. "Oh Dobby thank god. To shell cottage. Get Hermione-"

But before he could finish Dobby had taken hold of Ron and Harry and apparated them to Shell Cottage. The last thing Draco heard of Harry was Harry screaming; "GET HERMIONE!"

Hermione was stirring on the floor and she looked around for Harry and Ron. When she came up short she panicked, rolling over, only to narrowly avoid a stunning curse cast by Malfoy that was deflected by Bellatrix.

"-You, you betray us! Your family, your own kind! The _Dark Lord!_" Bellatrix hissed, throwing a curse towards Draco which he smartly dodged.

"I'm doing what's right." Draco yelled, sending an electric blue curse that narrowly skimmed Bellatrix's shoulder.

"Are you going to kill me dear boy?" Bellatrix drawled, as she moved over to Hermione suddenly and bent over her. "You try it and she dies." Bellatrix smirked at Draco.

"Don't-" Draco started but he was cut off by Bellatrix's laughter.

"Why are you saving her, Draco? She's nothing but a filthy Mudblood." Bellatrix laughed again and raised her wand to Draco. "She's _nothing_.."

Aunt and Nephew pointed their wands directly at one another, staring into each other's eyes with contempt and hatred and fury.

"Avada Kedavra!"


	2. Chapter II: The Unbreakable Vow

**Again, I unfortunately do not own Harry Potter!**

**Chapter II: Unbreakable Vow**

Bellatrix's eyes widened as she felt the most evil curse she'd come to love strike her in the chest. For a moment, time stopped. All she could see was the blurry outline of Draco, the only thing in focus his grey piercing eyes, full of determination.

"Traitor.." She whispered, as she fell backwards, her legs still folded underneath her from her kneeling position on the floor. Her head smacked off the wooden floor, the sound reverberating around the hollow grand room of Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix Lestrange was dead; her dark eyes glossy and no longing taunting as they stared but didn't see.

Draco let out a breath of relief, then hurried over to Hermione. She had propped herself up against a pillar during the duel, her arm bleeding rapidly, her breathing short rasps.

"Granger." Draco said as he dropped beside her. She shielded away from him, narrowing her eyes at him with distrust. "Granger." He said more forcefully as he grabbed her non injured arm. She tried to yank it away but he held it firm.

"What the hell are you doing, Malfoy?" She hissed at him, staring at him with bewilderment. "Where's Harry and Ron?"

"I'm helping you. All of you." Draco said through gritted teeth, still a bit put out that she didn't trust him, even after he killed his own flesh and blood. "Bellatrix is dead. The Dark Lord is coming and Potter and Weasley are safe."

Hermione let out a sharp painful breath of relief.

"Thank god." She whispered.

"We have to get out of here Granger, I know where to apparate too." Draco hoisted her up, his arm wrapping around her waist as she thankfully leant against him tiredly.

Hermione froze. She could hear something, the sound of a swishing cloak. She felt Draco tense beside her.

"He's here." She whispered, clinging onto Draco's dark suit as he turned on his heel. "Oh God, he's here!"

"Draco..." Hermione heard Voldemort coo, she could see him as he swirled in front of her vision.

"Get them!" Voldemort crowed, as one of his Death Eaters sent a stunning jinx in their direction.

A stunning jinx? Hermione thought blankly before the red jinx hit her and she fell limp, forcing Draco to catch her in both hands as they were squeezed and catapulted through the atmosphere.

xxx

They fell forwards onto cold sand, their clothes and hair bathed in it. Draco coughed, spitting out the sand that had found it's way into his mouth. He rolled over onto his back and blinked rapidly, dull blue sky looming overhead. He moved his head and noticed the sea crashing close to them, lapping at Hermione's head.

Draco sat up and crawled over to her. She was unconscious and her injured arm was at a funny angle. He cast a glance around him. He could see a little cottage not so far away and mused that it was Shell Cottage, thankful that even though he hadn't known what it looked like when he disapparated, his determination was enough to transport them here.

Draco could hear voices coming towards him, as he scooped Hermione up in his arms. She was limp as he walked towards the people, having recognised the black and orange blobs across the sand.

"Malfoy!" Potter shouted as he came near them. He snapped his wand up to his face and looked at him threateningly. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Potter." Draco replied calmly. Ron swivelled his eyes back and forth between the two of them before they rested on Hermione's still form in Draco's arms.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted, as leant over her. Draco instinctively pulled back.

"She's been hit with a stunning jinx and I think her arm is broken." Draco said. "Are you going to get your damn wand out of my face, Potter?"

"Give me one damn good reason to do so, Malfoy." Harry growled.

"I just saved your lives." Draco snarled.

"Not good enough." Harry raised his wand higher.

"I killed Bellatrix." Draco announced calmly, amused at the sudden expression on Harry's face as his wand faltered.

"_You _killed _Bellatrix_? Your own Aunt, flesh and blood?" Harry looked bewildered.

"She is nothing to me." Draco replied. "She nearly killed Granger."

"Oh, so you thought you'd save Hermione and we'd immediately welcome you with a giant bear hug?" Weasley shouted while Harry nodded in agreement with him. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Look, I don't expect a bloody welcome party, just a chance to explain-"

"Explain! Malfoy-" Draco cut across him.

"We need to get inside, put up wards before they follow us here." Draco started off towards the cottage with Harry and Ron hot on his heels. "By the way, where _is _here?"

"Wales." Ron answered, automatically, still weary. "Bill and Fleur's cottage but we're staying here for now."

"Wait." Harry said, raising his wand again. "How do we know that you're really Draco?"

Harry cursed himself for not asking that sooner.

"I tried to befriend Harry Potter in first year in Madam Malkin's, Diagon Alley." Draco replied nonchalantly. Harry lowered his wand.

"You never told me that Harry!" Ron gasped, surprised and rather miffed. Harry shrugged and they hurried into the cottage.

"Weasley cast some wards, if you're magically capable, that is." Draco smirked to himself. Weasley stormed back outside again, muttering under his breath. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Who jinxed her?" Harry asked as he watched Draco lay Hermione down on the couch.

"Death Eater." Draco replied, producing his wand from his pocket.

"What do you mean, a Death Eater?"

"I mean one of those masked wizards that follow the Dark Lord around like a lost sheep." Draco replied irritably.

"I know what a Death Eater is!" Harry shouted exasperated. Malfoy was starting to aggravate him. "I meant was Voldemort there then?"

Harry didn't miss Draco flinch at the Dark Lord's true name, and Harry wondered exactly how scared Draco was of him.

"He was there. I'm surprised he didn't kill us both immediately." Draco pointed his wand at Hermione's chest and whispered; "Enervate."

Hermione's eyes flickered open and to her utter dismay the first thing she saw was Draco standing over her with his wand still pointed at her.

"Scourgify." Immediately the sand and the blood and sweat disappeared off Hermione. Draco pointed the wand to himself and then to Harry, repeating the spell.

Harry ran over to Hermione and hoisted her up and she cried out in pain, clutching her broken arm.

"I did tell you her arm was broken. Move, Potter." Draco shoved Harry aside and pointed his wand at her arm. "Brackium Emendo."

Hermione gasped as the bones in her arm snapped back into place, leaving only a dull twinge.

"You'll have to take Skelegrow too." Draco said as he stepped away from her and pocketed his wand. Hermione nodded.

"Thank you." She whispered. Draco nodded curtly and went to stand by the window.

"Harry." Hermione whispered, dragging Harry down so she could whisper in his ear. "Has Malfoy switched sides or something?"

"I'm not sure." Harry whispered back, shrugging. Ron came back through the door then and scowled at Malfoy.

"The wards are up, your Highness." Ron said sardonically before kneeling down beside Hermione.

"Everything alright?" Hermione nodded in response and frowned at Draco's dark back.

"How can we trust you?" She asked him. Draco turned around.

"I saved all three of you, and fixed your arm, killed my Aunt and disobeyed the Dark Lord. What else could you want?"

"An Unbreakable Vow." Harry stated suddenly. There was a strange silence as everyone looked at each other. "If you refuse to make an Unbreakable Vow, then we cannot trust you."

Hermione thought that wasn't a bad idea. She'd never seen an Unbreakable Vow being cast before and she desperately wanted to see it. But that would mean, if she did get to see one, that Draco Malfoy would be on their side which meant that the whole world had gone insane.

"Very well, Potter." Draco said and moved towards Harry.

"Wait!" Ron said, looking between the two other boys. "I don't understand."

"Does not surprise me, Weasley." Draco smirked.

"No I mean, why would you _want _to make an Unbreakable Vow? Why would you _want _to fight _with _us, against everything that you believe in?"

Draco sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Because I never believed in any of it. I began to realise that it wasn't right. You could use me on this side, an alliance, who knows the ins and outs of everything on the other side." Draco replied. Hermione sighed inwardly. She knew he was bloody right.

"He's just what we need, Ron." Hermione whispered, knowing full well that Ron greatly disapproved. Draco smirked at that.

"Fine." Ron mumbled, not looking at Draco.

"Just know this, Malfoy." Hermione said, sitting up properly on the sofa. "We're going along with this because we trust Harry. If Harry trusts you enough to do this, then so do we." Hermione breathed out. Ron nodded in agreement. Draco just stared at her before turning back to Harry.

"Do you know how to cast one?" Draco asked him. Before Harry could reply Hermione had jumped up off the sofa.

"You need another person to cast the Unbreakable Vow, which would be me, the Bonder." Hermione said.

"Always doubting my abilities." Ron muttered as he collapsed on the couch to watch. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"Can you cast an Unbreakable Vow, Ronald?" She snapped indignantly.

"Can _you_?" Ron replied.

"I've read about it thoroughly and Ronald, I _am _the greatest witch of my generation." Hermione grinned despite the clipped tone.

Draco had to smirk at that, as did Harry.

"Put a sock in it Weasley." Draco said as he clasped Harry's wrist, rewarded with Harry doing the same to his own. "Watch and learn, Weasley." Draco's stomach clenched together at how much he sounded like his father then, remembering how Lucius had whispered them to him when Hermione was being tortured. He shuddered involuntarily.

"Seconds thoughts, Malfoy?" Harry smirked. Draco frowned and pulled their arms so their thumbs were facing the ceiling.

"Never."

Hermione moved next to their clasped arms and pointed her wand at their hands. She muttered the incantation, three wispy bonds of magic coiled around their entwined hands like a snake. Harry stared at the magic as it swirled around his and Draco's hands and arms, and his breathing quickened. He hoped to bloody God that he was doing the right thing.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione looked at Draco.

"Will you, Draco Malfoy, swear your alliance to Harry James Potter, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Jean Granger and Albus Dumbledore in attempt to destroy Lord Voldemort?"

"I will." Draco replied, not moving his gaze from Harry's. Hermione breathed out.

"And will you, help us to locate and destroy all Lord Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes?"

"I will."

"And finally, will you swear to only use the Dark Arts against Voldemort and his followers?"

"I will."

The bonds around their arms suddenly tightened, and Harry had to bite his tongue to stop him from making a noise. Ron watched wide eyed as the ropes loosened. Draco had his head held high as Hermione sighed in relief, the bonds disappearing. Draco and Harry let go, but Harry still had his hand out in front of him. Draco shook it without hesitation.

"You understand the terms of your agreement?" Hermione asked.

"I do." Draco replied.

And so, the Unbreakable Vow between Harry James Potter and Draco Malfoy was done.


	3. Chapter III: Breakfast With A Malfoy

I do not own Harry Potter  
>Thank you for the reviews so far! Appreciated :)<p>

**Chapter III: Breakfast with a Malfoy**

Harry and Ron had retreated to their rooms shortly after the vow had been made. Draco had spent the past fifteen minutes outside checking on the wards and adding even stronger ones. Hermione was left alone at the kitchen table, with cold coffee, staring at her arm.

It had stopped bleeding now but the wounds were still there, screaming Mudblood at her. Hermione felt tears come to her eyes and she left them fall, sliding down her cheeks. She probably should have cast some spells on it but she just couldn't tear her eyes away from it.

She was branded. Who she was, was branded in the worst possible way on the delicate skin of her arm. Scarred and branded Mudblood for everyone to see. To remind her. She brushed her tears away angrily and jumped at a small sound at the door.

Draco was standing there awkwardly, watching her. Hermione sighed and banished the cold coffee with a flick of her wand into the sink.

"Have you put anything on it?" Draco asked her quietly, after a moment of tense silence between them. Hermione shook her head. Draco took the seat next to her and reached out for her arm. Instinctively Hermione moved her arm away and Draco looked at her.

"You _still _don't trust me?" He asked. Hermione glared at him.

"Well, this time yesterday you were a renowned Death Eater, so forgive me for not warming up to you." She snapped, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"I pledged my alliance. I break it and I die. What more proof that I am no longer on the dark side do you need?" Draco breathed in slowly, trying to control all his pent up rage. Calmly, he ordered. "Let me see your arm."

Reluctantly, Hermione moved her arm towards him. Tenderly, Draco picked it up with his fingers, resting it on the palm of his hand. His fingers were warm and tense, to Hermione's surprise. She had expected them to be as cold as his eyes.

Draco removed his wand from his pocket and pointed it at the disgusting word etched into her skin;

"Episkey."

The wounds slowly closed up before bursting again, blood literally exploding out of the letters. The spell should have healed her wounds, but instead they'd done the exact opposite. Hermione shrieked in alarm and tried to stand up in panic, but Draco firmly held her arm down on the table.

"Don't move." He ordered and she glared at him before sitting back down.

"Well the hell did you do?"

"Bellatrix's knife must have been charmed to harness her Dark Magic. I cannot heal it." Draco muttered to himself, examining her arm from every angle.

"Scourgify."

The blood disappeared. Draco sighed.

"I don't know what to do." He admitted. Hermione groaned. "They're going to scar."

Hermione moved her arm away and rolled her sleeve back down to her wrist, hiding it. There was another awkward pause before Hermione looked up at him.

"Why are you helping us?" She whispered. Draco drummed his fingers on the table absent-mindedly, not looking at her.

"I have to." Draco replied simply, and Hermione felt the subject close. She stood up defeated and left the room silently.

xxx

The next morning Harry woke early and trudged down to the kitchen, in serious need of a cuppa tea. He sleepily walked over to the kettle, poured the hot water into the mug which sloshed over the side and onto the counter top. He threw a teabag in and four sugars and turned around to sit at the table.

Harry jumped back in shock, nearly dropping his mug of tea and drew his wand, fully awake now.

"Relax Potter, I saved your ass, made an Unbreakable Vow..blah blah.." Draco drawled, not moving his eyes away from the Daily Prophet in his hands. Harry spluttered over his words.

"H-how did you get that newspaper!" Harry asked heatedly, pointing his wand at the newspaper, which in Harry's panic had erupted a flame. It caught fire to the corner of the newspaper. Draco nonchalantly extinguished it with his thumb.

"Owls, Potter. You know, those big nocturnal birds that deliver us our mail." Draco rolled his eyes.

"You can't get the Daily Prophet delivered_ here_!" Harry cried.

"Why not?" Draco looked up at him, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Because! The mail is being monitored, the ministry was infiltrated." Harry raised an eyebrow. "Really Malfoy, you should know all about that, seeing as it was your bloody friends who did it."

"Friends, Potter? You think I was _friends_ with those foul wizards?" Draco's expression darkened alarmingly, and Harry took a smart step back.

"Morning, Harry." Ron said sleepily as he entered the kitchen, blatantly ignoring Draco.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked as he sat opposite Draco and poured milk in his tea.

"In bed, I think. She had a rough day yesterday." Ron sighed and made himself some toast.

"I hope she's okay." Harry said, swirling his tea around and around with a spoon.

"She was tortured, she's going to need a few days rest." Draco said, looking up from the newspaper. He picked up a piece of his own toast and nibbled on it. Ron pretended not to hear him.

"Say, anything interesting in the newspaper?" Harry asked, watching as Draco resumed his reading.

"Besides a certain young Malfoy killing a certain psychotic Lestrange, there's nothing interesting in here."

"That made the newspaper, _already_?" Harry shook his head. He wouldn't be surprised if it was because Rita Skeeter had been a fly on the wall again.

"What made the newspaper already?" Hermione asked from the doorway, having finally gotten out of bed. She was dressed in plan blue jeans and a tight fitting top. Hermione yawned and joined them at the table.

"Malfoy killing Lestrange." Ron said, indicating to the front cover, as Draco held the paper up to show them. There was a picture of Draco on the front from sixth year in his black, emerald and silver Slytherin robes.

"That's just fantastic. Now everyone's going to be looking for you." Hermione shook her head as she stole one of Ron's pieces of toast.

"Hermione, get your own!" Ron picked up the remaining slice guardedly. Harry watched as Draco watched the playful scene unfolding in front of him. Hermione stuck her tongue out at Ron.

"How are you feeling this morning, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Better. My arm still hurts though." Hermione took a swig of Harry's tea. "Ugh, too much sugar."

"I told you to take Skelegrow." Draco said pointedly, going back to reading the newspaper.

"I don't think we have any." Hermione glanced down at her arm.

"What, it's not in that magical bag of yours?" Harry grinned at Hermione.

"There's some in the bathroom cabinet." Ron replied. "I saw it in there this morning."

"Thanks for bringing it to me then, Ronald." Hermione scolded. Ron winced at her use of his full name.

"Yeah, _Ronald_." Harry smirked, earning a sharp kick to the shin from Ron under the table. "Ow!"

"So, what's the plan of action for today?" Hermione asked seemingly oblivious to what was happening under the table, spreading strawberry jam on her toast. She took a big bite and relished the taste of proper food after being on the run for months.

"Not sure." Harry said seriously.

"Can I read the newspaper after you, Malfoy?" Hermione asked. Draco nodded, looking paler than usual all of a sudden, before folding it up and handing it to her.

"Sick of reading it anyway." Draco mumbled before heading upstairs. The golden trio watched him leave the kitchen.

"This is all too weird. We just watched Draco Malfoy walk out of Bill and Fleur's kitchen." Ron muttered, picking up his juice. "And we had breakfast with him! If someone told me two months ago I'd be sitting here eating toast with that slimy git, I'd have sent them to St Mungo's."

"It's going to take some getting used to." Hermione shrugged, opening the newspaper. Hermione thought of something before she had the chance to read. She glanced at Harry who was sipping his tea thoughtfully.

"Harry?"

"Mhm?"

"What happened to you while I was being tortured?" She asked. Harry smiled widely at her.

"We saved Mr. Ollivander and Luna and the goblin from Gringotts."

"Mr. Ollivander and Luna?" Hermione looked at Harry confused.

"Yeah, they were down there. We managed to knock Wormtail out then Dobby came and he disapparated them to the Burrow." Ron shrugged. Hermione stared wide eyed.

"They're safe?"

"Of course."

There was an odd silence.

"What happened to the Sword of Gryffindor?" Hermione struggled to remember whether someone had picked it up. Harry looked down at his hands, as if expecting the sword to be in them.

"I'm not sure. We don't have it."

"I suspect Voldemort has it now." Hermione sighed.

"Voldemort?" Ron enquired.

"Yeah, he came just as Malfoy disapparated me here." Hermione flicked the page of the newspaper. "A Death Eater stunned me."

"I find it a hard concept to wrap my head around, that a Death Eater simply stunned you?" Harry shook his head, perplexed.

"Maybe it was Snape?" Ron piped up. Hermione scoffed. "No seriously, Mione, it makes sense. He couldn't have cast the killing curse in fear of hitting Malfoy."

Harry and Hermione stared at Ron like he'd grown two heads.

"I suppose it's a possibility. Malfoy is Snape's godson, after all."

"Since when did you get wise?" Harry cracked a grin at his red headed friend.

"Since we almost died last night." Ron rubbed his face with his palm.

Hermione resumed reading Draco's newspaper and nearly fell off her chair in shock. She drew out a long gasp, gaining two perplexed expressions of Harry and Ron.

"Oh my god." Hermione re-read it again before glancing at the doorway. "That's why he left so abruptly." She whispered to herself.

"What does it say?" Harry leant over the table to get a look at the newspaper. Hermione paled.

"Voldemort killed his parents."


	4. Chapter IV: Master of the Elder Wand

**I do not own Harry Potter!**

**Not entirely sure about this chapter, but I kinda like how vulnerable we see Draco!**

**Chapter IV: Master of the Elder Wand**

The golden trio looked between one another.

"Someone has to go talk to him." Hermione whispered, breaking the tense silence. Ron looked positively horrified at the idea of talking to Malfoy about something so personal.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Harry suggested and they all nodded. "One, two, three."

Immediately Hermione went for the rock as both the two boys went smartly for the paper. Hermione groaned as the other boys grinned to themselves.

"Okay, off you go Hermione." Ron grinned and leant back in his chair, finishing off his juice.

"What am I supposed to say?" She whispered.

"I have no idea, but you're the motherly one." Harry shrugged as Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Motherly one?"

"Yeah you know, mother instincts."

"You expect me to_ mother _Malfoy?" Hermione pulled a face.

"Not mother him, just talk to him." Harry rubbed his neck gingerly. Hermione let out a frustrated sigh and walked out the kitchen.

She felt fear creep into her chest. What if he didn't want to speak? What if he lashed out and completely lost it? Worse, what if he point blank rejected her comfort? Hermione took a deep breath and ascended the stairs, her eyes fixed on the next one and the next one until finally she was short of stairs and stood on the small landing.

Hermione reached out and knocked timidly on Draco's door. There was no answer.

"Malfoy?" Hermione called out clearly and she heard a soft click and swoop of Alohomora cast on the lock of the door. She took a deep breath again and opened the door.

Draco's room was engulfed darkness, and she could just about make out his slacking form on the bed. He was sitting, slouched, unusual for a Malfoy. Hermione hovered in the doorway before shutting the door behind her. She walked over to him and sat gingerly on the bed beside him.

Draco breathed in deeply, aware of her presence beside him but he made no attempt to acknowledge her. He knew exactly what she had come up here to talk about and he didn't feel like talking. He sort of regretted giving her the newspaper, but they were going to find out anyway. He could sense Hermione's tense body very close and he breathed in again, trying to calm himself down. Draco suddenly wanted to shout and yell and hit but not while she was in here with him, she was far too close and he was scared he'd loose it.

"Draco?" Hermione whispered and Draco's stomach twisted as he realised she'd used his first name. He felt her hand on his arm and he tensed under her touch, but she didn't move her hand away. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Draco replied, his jaw set sternly. Hermione nodded in understanding then realised he couldn't see her in the dark.

"Whenever you are ready." She whispered and hesitantly she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

She wasn't sure why she did that. It felt strange to comfort a person who had previously killed and hurt and was on the side she was so determined to destroy. But he was, after all, still just a boy, a teenager, like her, who'd loved and lost in this war. She knew he felt a great amount of guilt, as she had when she'd lost her friends. Lavender, Seamus. She'd heard they'd been killed by a group of Death Eaters. But losing friends wasn't the same – being ripped from your parents brings you a whole new level of agony that can't even be compared to losing friends.

Draco tensed immediately at the sudden embrace but didn't move her away. He was not used to the whole caring thing, and this embracing business was scary. But he liked it. The warmth and safety that was radiating from her aura was comforting, and he found himself leaning into her embrace. She tightened her hold on him and his head fell onto her shoulder. She soothed him, rubbing circles on his back and rocking him slightly.

It was strange, to see Malfoy so.._vulnerable_. It was even stranger to see him open up like that, to her. He hadn't said anything, not the whole time they sat like that, but she felt like that one movement, where he just collapsed onto her, had shown her a lot. He was vulnerable and scared and fragile, he had lost and given up everything.

"It's my fault." Draco whispered unexpectedly, looking up at her. Suddenly he cast a Lumos, the room illuminating with soft white light, their features springing to view as they looked at each other. Draco's face was perfectively emotionless, but she could see it all in his grey orbs.

"Not it's not." Hermione contradicted.

"It is. I simply stunned my parents. I should have killed them myself." Hermione was shocked and stunned into silence.

"Wouldn't it have been better to kill them by my own hand then let them suffer at the hands of _him_?" He looked up at her. "He would have _tortured_ them. The way I let Bellatrix torture _you_." Hermione flinched.

"It's not your fault, you did not condemn them to their fate." Hermione whispered.

"I stunned my parents. Left them there to be manhandled and tortured and killed by the most powerful spectrum of evil. I did this to them. I should have murdered them myself. But they were my parents, how could I have killed them?"

"Stop it." Hermione said fiercely, tears springing to her eyes.

"I don't care about my father. Not really. But my mother.." Draco's voice broke and abruptly he tore himself from her arms and edged to the opposite end of the bed and refused to speak any more. Draco whispered "Knox." and the light faded, plunging them both in darkness again that seemed to stretch out forever between them. Hermione felt strange at the loss of contact. He didn't even look in her direction as she sighed and reached out for him, only to stop inches away from him, her hand lingering in the air.

"Whenever you are ready." Hermione repeated her earlier words and exited his room sadly.

Draco lay back on the bed and rolled over onto his side, staring at the spot she previously occupied. She had been so _understanding_. How could she understand what he did? How could she understand that he had condemned his own mother to her death? A woman who was far from innocent through actions, but at heart she was just another fool to fall for the Malfoy charms. Not only did she conceal her own fate when she married Lucius Malfoy, but unknowingly her son too.

Draco groaned and pulled at his hair angrily. He counted to one hundred slowly and opened his eyes, feeling calm and emotionless again as he pushed his current predicament to the back of his mind. He had to focus on the now and what was being planned at the exact moment in the kitchen of Shell Cottage.

xxx

"Where are we going to find the Elder Wand?" Harry asked Hermione as they sat once again at the kitchen table.

"Well the Elder Wand is passed down from the person who owned it to the person who defeated the person who owned it." Hermione explained, earning two sets of confused faces. Hermione rolled her eyes. "If Harry owned the wand and I defeated him, I would become the possessor of the Elder Wand."

"Ohhh." Harry and Ron said together, understanding now. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Wait. If this Elder Wand is so powerful, how come the person who owned it got so easily defeated that it gets passed down to the person who defeated the person who owned it?" Harry asked, and Hermione pondered that thought for a while.

"I am completely and utterly confused now." Ron muttered.

"A familiar feeling, I assume?" Draco drawled from the kitchen doorway, his trademark smirk plastered on his face. Hermione was surprised to see him but didn't say anything; she only smiled at him. Ron darkened his expression.

Draco joined them at the table and listened as they continued to talk about the Elder Wand.

"Well Harry, I should imagine that all the previous owners were taken by surprise or brought down by extreme violence."

"Or a simple Expelliarmus." Draco piped in. Everyone looked at him curiously before Hermione slowly nodded her head.

"That could work."

"Who was the previous Master of the Elder Wand then?" Hermione wondered aloud.

"Dumbledore." Both Harry and Ron said at the same time; it seemed rather obvious and it made sense that Dumbledore would have the most powerful wand ever created.

"So, I assume it's buried with Dumbledore, then?" Hermione mused. Harry nodded his head as Hermione frowned. "Dumbledore was killed, which would mean that..." She trailed off in horror.

"Snape is the Master of the Elder Wand!" Harry figured out and Ron slammed an angry fist on the table, making his tea slosh everywhere.

Draco held up a hand after having pondered on something that sent chills through his body. Everyone was suddenly silenced as they stared at Draco. He looked up at them, his brow furrowed.

"I disarmed Dumbledore in the Astronomy tower before Snape killed him."

Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at Draco for a long time. Draco stared back, his blood running cold at what exactly he just said meant.

"Draco Malfoy is the true Master of the Elder Wand." Harry whispered.


	5. Chapter V: Dumbledore & Dementors

**I do not own Harry Potter!**

**Chapter V: Dumbledore & Dementors**

"This is not _happening_!" Hermione groaned, resting her face in her hands. "How do we fix this?"

"What do you mean, how do we fix it? There's nothing to fix." Draco narrowed his eyes at her, confused. "I can use the Elder Wand to defeat him."

Harry noticed Draco evaded using Voldemort's name.

"It's not in the prophecy that you kill Voldemort." Hermione was shaking her head. "Harry has to do it, Harry has to become the Master of the Elder Wand."

"Well then all he has to do is defeat me." Draco leaned back in his chair. He didn't like the prospect of being beaten by Potter – even if was a simple Expelliarmus.

"I'm sorry?" Hermione stated blankly. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Really, I thought you were supposed to be the greatest witch of your generation?" Draco smirked. Hermione childishly stuck her tongue out and pointedly looked away.

"He's right. He just needs to be holding the Elder Wand and I can simply disarm him!" Harry said excitedly, having to restrain himself from bouncing in his seat from excitement.

"Dumbledore's grave is probably very guarded." Ron pointed out.

"Even if we claimed the Elder Wand, we still have to locate and destroy four remaining Horcruxes." Hermione reminded them. Harry groaned.

"We don't even know what or where they are!" Harry felt exasperated all of a sudden, his previous excitement extinguished immediately, like someone had stamped on it.

"We'll figure it out and find them, I promise Harry." Hermione smiled, her lips wavering as she placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. He struggled to smile back.

"Okay, so we're going to Dumbledore's grave today then?"

"This is really risky. His tomb is by the Great Lake." Harry pointed out.

"Harry, we've done riskier things. Like almost being eaten by a giant snake." Hermione said, and Harry shuddered involuntarily.

"Point taken. We're going to need to get ready." Harry said as he stood up, discarded his empty mug in the sink and headed upstairs. Ron yawned and followed him, leaving Hermione and Draco sitting at the table.

Hermione glanced up at Draco.

"Are you okay?" She whispered.  
>"I'm fine. Really." Draco said, clenching his jaw. There was a pregnant pause and Hermione sighed.<p>

"Well, I'm going to get ready too." Hermione awkwardly got up from the table and left the kitchen.

Draco was a bag of nerves. They were going to Dumbledore's tomb today, the man he had nearly killed. The man who he had seen killed, by none other than his own Godfather. And now he would be stealing from him. Well, not exactly, Draco contradicted himself. If I am the true Master of the Elder Wand, it's not stealing. Sighing, Draco stood up and went upstairs to get ready too.

Xxx

Hermione spent a ridiculous half an hour making sure they knew what to do, and that she had everything in her magical bag. They had planned to go when it was dark, so they had to wait the entire day nervously waiting.

"Hermione, we've been through this five hundred times already, can we just go and get this over with?" Harry pleaded, making for the front door.

"Okay, yeah, sorry." Hermione fiddled with her bag strap. Harry turned around and suddenly hugged her.

"I know you're scared, Hermione. It will be fine, I promise." Harry whispered in her ear, giving her a friendly kiss on the cheek before moving away and opening the front door.

"Thanks Harry." She whispered as they all stepped outside.

"Okay, so we know where we are disapparating too, yes?"

"Yes, the edge of the Forbidden Forest."

"Wait!" Ron shouted. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Something you don't get, again?"

"Shove off, Malfoy." Ron spat at him. "No, I was going to say we should go in pairs."

"Good idea." Harry said. "Okay, Ron and Malfoy-"

"I'm not going with him!" Ron said childishly, folding his arms.

"I'll go with him then." Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron.

"No, you're coming with me, Hermione." Harry said, forcefully, grabbing Hermione's wrist.

"I don't want to go with Malfoy!" Ron stomped his foot. Hermione and Harry stared bewildered at Ron's stupid behaviour.

"Ron, he won't do anything, he made the vow."

"I don't care."

"FINE!" Harry shouted, stomping over to Draco. "I'll go with Malfoy, Hermione you go with Ron."

Hermione nodded and took Ron's hand, Harry grabbed Draco's shoulder and simultaneously they disapparated to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

All four of them apparated at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and immediately drew their wands. There was no one guarding the edge of the forest, and Hermione let out a breath of relief.

"We should cast the Disillusionment charm." Hermione whispered, as she cast it on herself. She felt the familiar feel of cold trickling down her back. The other three boys followed suit.

"Okay, we need to get through the forest to the edge of the lake." Harry said as they all started forwards, but then he stopped, frowning. "Can you feel that?"

The horrible feeling of suddenly being very cold to the core of their bodies was overwhelming them, and almost as if the penny dropped at the same time, all four of them looked up through the trees. Hundreds of Dementors were hovering above their heads and then, just as the foursome had spotted them, the Dementors spotted them and catapulted forwards.

"They can see us even though we are invisible?" Ron gaped.

"They can sense our fear Ronald!" Hermione scolded. Ron should know that, was he being deliberately stupid? "We need to stop being scared."

"Easier said then done." Ron muttered as he eyed the Dementors looming overhead.

Suddenly four of them swooped down, two of them right in Hermione's face. She tried not to scream as they suddenly started sucking the life force from her. She felt her legs buckle but someone caught her before she hit the ground.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed, a burst of brilliant white light illuminated the forest, and like a shield, the Dementors bounced off the light, floating away from Harry's stag.

Harry staggered, the white light extinguishing and they were bathed in darkness again. Harry cast a Lumos. He breathed in and out and looked up at Hermione. Draco had caught her before she had fell down and she made no attempt to ever stand up right again. She groaned as Draco pushed her upwards.

"You okay?" He asked her and Hermione nodded.

"Blimey Harry, what happy memory did you have?" Ron asked.

"Ginny." Harry panted, wiping his brow. "When we were together at the Burrow before all this.." Hermione smiled at him.

"Can we not reminisce right now, I'm pretty sure Potter's impressive light show has alerted the Death Eaters." Draco said as he started to make his way through the forest.

The golden trio followed him, their eyes darting this way and that, looking for any sign of an enemy attack.

Hermione was growing even more scared as they trecked through the forest. She'd been in the Forbidden Forest lots of times but she still felt terrified. Maybe it was seeing her old headmaster again that was getting her so frightened. Suddenly someone grabbed her wrist and Hermione very nearly hexed them to death before Draco whispered in her ear.

"Stay very still." Hermione froze.

At least ten Death Eaters popped out from behind trees, casting numerous Lumos' as they searched.

"I swear Avery, I bloody saw something!" Hermione felt Draco's hand squeeze her wrist to almost bone crushing point at the sound of Dolohov's voice.

"It was probably a centaur, disgusting creatures." It was Hermione's turn to feel her blood boil.

"No, I saw a Patronus. Potter's Patronus."

The four teenagers all stared at each other as a dreaded all familiar feeling of heat trickled down their back. The Disillusionment charm had been lifted – by the Death Eaters. There was a moments pause, and Draco felt like time had stopped as Avery and Dolohov raised their heads and spotted them.

"Run!" Harry shouted as he grabbed hold of Ron and dragged him through the forest. Draco still had a hold of Hermione's wrist and started dragging her through the forest too, running as fast as his legs would carry him.

The Death Eaters rained curse after curse towards them, and Hermione had to think frantically through the haze in her mind of the right protection spell. Hermione's heart was beating so fast in her ribcage and her legs were beginning to throb. The only thing allowing her to carry on was Draco's urging and strong hand around her wrist.

She could see Draco firing dark curses towards the Death Eaters, and she ignored the twisting feeling in her gut. Harry had managed to bring down Avery, but that still left nine determined Death Eaters.

"Malfoy!" Hermione screamed without thinking, noticing as a dark curse brushed across the top of his shoulder, ripping it open. Draco didn't even flinch and carried on throwing curses at them. Hermione focused her wand at Draco's shoulder and whispered; "Episkey" She watched with satisfaction as the wound closed up before returning her focus on the four Death Eaters advancing towards them. She couldn't even see Ron and Harry any more.

"Sectumsempra!" Draco yelled. Successfully the dark curse sliced through Dolohov. Screaming he fell to the forest floor, blood pouring out of his torso. Hermione focused her wand on another Death Eater and yelled; "Stupefy!"

"Stupefy? Really, Granger?" Draco tutted disapprovingly, and fired Sectumsempra again at another Death Eater.

"It worked didn't it!" Hermione yelled back, before firing another Stupify the exact same time Draco cast a third Sectumsempra. The remaining Death Eater was sent faulting back, dead immediately.

"We need to find Harry." Hermione said, casting a Lumos and scanning the forest for the boy who lived. She spotted him and pulled Draco with her as she ran towards them. Harry and Ron turned around, wands at the ready, but faltered when they spotted Hermione.

"That's definitely you, isn't it Mione?" Ron said and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Ronald."

Draco and Harry smirked. That was definitely Hermione.

"We need to find Dumbledore's tomb." Hermione said.

"We've found it." Harry pointed across the lake at a little island surrounded by trees. "It's over there."

Hermione let out a frustrated sigh.

"How are we meant to _get _over there? Swim?" Draco asked, eyeing the black waters of the Lake.

Hermione suddenly shrieked and rootled around in her bag, her arm getting lost up to her shoulder. Draco raised his eyebrows at her.

"Don't get sucked in." He smirked, and Harry couldn't help but to smirk either. The bag was beginning to swallow Hermione.

"I found them!" She shouted exuberantly, her voice echoing inside the bag. She removed her arm, pulling out a broomstick before she dived in for the other one.

"Only two?" Ron said, eyeing the broomsticks.

"Well yes, before Malfoy came there was only two of you who flew on broomsticks."

"Not a fan of them, Granger?" Draco's mouth twisted mockingly as he took one of the broomsticks. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "Tough luck, hop on."

Hermione eyed the broomstick. She sighed and climbed on the back, Draco having already mounted it. Ron hopped on the back of Harry's broomstick and reluctantly held on to his waist.

"Looking cosy." Draco mocked and Ron held up his middle finger across his shoulder. Draco laughed as he left the ground. He felt with a strange sensation in his stomach that Hermione literally squeezed his torso, holding on for dear life.

"I won't let you fall." Draco said, and Hermione let out a breath of relief.

"You do and I'll hex you into kingdom come." She whispered over his shoulder. Draco smirked and they set off across the lake towards the little island.

"Harry stop!" Hermione called. Harry turned around on the broomstick to face them. "It might be warded." With shaking fingers, Hermione pulled out her wand and muttered incantations against the wards that were indeed surrounding Dumbledore's final resting place. It took her a full frustrating five minutes before every ward was uncealed.

"Okay, that should be it." Hermione pocketed her wand as they sped off to the island again. Harry and Ron touched down, shortly followed by Hermione and Draco.

Hermione still had a hold of Draco's waist, her heart pounding. She really did hate flying.

"You can let go now, Granger." Draco said. Hermione blushed scarlet.

"Oh right yeah." She unwound her arms from Draco's waist and stumbled off the broom.

"I see it, come on." Harry said as they all walked cautiously towards Dumbledore's tomb. They stopped just by it and there was a strange silence.

Harry stared down at the marble white tomb. It had a giant crack down the middle of it and his heart wrenched together. They were too late. Harry removed the remaining pieces of marble and stared down at his old professor.

Harry felt tears prickle his eyes which he ignored angrily. He stared down at the dead form of Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Harry's friend, mentor and guardian. He looked exactly the same, except his eyes were closed, never to open again and fix Harry with that piercing twinkling azure stare that had both petrified and soothed him. Harry's eyes strayed down to Dumbledore's clasped hands and not to his surprise, they held thin air. The Elder Wand was gone.

"Harry." Hermione whispered from his shoulder as she wound her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. Harry held onto her arms and they fell down beside his tomb, Harry resting his head on it, looking up at his old Headmaster. Ron joined them, wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist and leaning his head on her shoulder.

Draco stood back, not wanting to be anywhere near his deceased Headmaster's tomb. He watched as the Golden Trio mourned together and he felt a strange sense of detachment. His heart clenched together at the sight of them, and couldn't shake the guilt he'd felt ever since that night in the Astronomy tower. This was all his fault.

Hermione looked over her shoulder at Draco, her eyes swimming with tears. She looked at him long and hard, and Draco couldn't help but feel she was blaming him. He knew that she should, he could have easily told Dumbledore to run, or faked his death, _something_. Anything but the real thing.

Hermione sighed and looked away. She had hoped that he would come and sit with them as they mourned the greatest wizard of all time, but he had just stood there; frozen and alone.

"The Elder Wand is in Voldemort's possession and the whole world is doomed." Harry whispered. Hermione held onto him tighter.

"He is not the master, though." Ron replied. Hermione nodded. Harry shifted out of their grasp and looked away from Dumbledore's tomb.

"Maybe all I need to do is Expelliarmus Malfoy over here. With or without the damn wand." Harry said darkly, his voice laced with grief, looking at Draco who had drawn his wand for him.

"Fine." Draco replied.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried, Draco's wand jerking out of his hand and flew into Harry's. Draco suddenly felt a strange surge of his magic, and felt like a chunk of it had been cut out. Harry's eyes widened at the strange feeling of a chunk of magic being added to his own, and it surged through his entire body, to his fingers and toes.

"Did it work?" Hermione whispered.

"Yeah, I can feel the Elder Magic." Harry replied, looking down at his fingers.

"Now that's done – can we go back to Shell Cottage?" Ron said, as he hoisted Hermione to her feet.

Harry grabbed Draco's shoulder, as Hermione slipped her hand in his, much to Draco's surprise, and Hermione grabbed Ron's hand. Together, taking one last glance at their deceased Headmaster's tomb, Hermione having the decency to fix the broken marble back over his body, they disapparated back to Shell Cottage.


	6. Chapter VI: Marks & Taboos

A long awaited chapter! Sorry for the wait & thank you for the reviews ;)

**Chapter VI: Marks and Taboos**

"_Don't you see? I have to do this!" Draco's voice cracked as he stared at his calm Headmaster at the top of the Astronomy Tower. How could he be so calm – he was about to kill him!_

"_Draco-"_

"_No!" Draco yelled, his wand shaking in his hand. There were voices and footsteps behind him, and he instantly recognised the Potions Master. Snape looked at Dumbledore, who had a strange twinkle in his eye. Snape pointed his wand at the headmaster and without blinking, whispered;_

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

_Dumbledore was blasted backwards by the force of the killing curse, the green light hitting him squarely in the chest. Almost like time had stopped, Dumbledore stumbled over the battlements of the Astronomy tower and fell towards the dark Hogwarts grounds...Draco instinctively took a step forwards, but was forced backwards by Snape's hand and he followed him down the steps descending the Astronomy tower, not before shooting an odd look at the spot Harry Potter was currently immobilised on the floor under his invisibility cloak..._

Draco sat bolt up right in bed, panting, his chest heaving as cold sweat dripped down his face and back. He had pulled his wand out from under his pillow as he awoken, and now had it held tightly in front of him, his knuckles turning white. He breathed in and out, unable to shake the image of Dumbledore suspended in mid air underneath the emerald Dark Mark before toppling over the battlements.

Draco clutched at his hair, wanting to rip it all out. Seeing Dumbledore's dead body two days ago had seriously frightened Draco, and had awoken memories Draco had tried to hard to forget.

"_Come over to the right side, Draco.." _Dumbledore's words echoed in Draco's head, reverberating around his mind. Draco moaned and climbed out of bed.

xxx

Hermione was sitting downstairs on the sofa of Bill and Fleur's living room, staring at the crackling fire. She flicked her wand at it numerous times, changing the colour of the flames. Right now they were a bright emerald green, reminding her of the Dark Mark. With disgust she changed them to a vibrant purple.

Someone suddenly burst through the door and Hermione snapped around automatically, her wand pointed at Draco who had stumbled onto the sofa beside her.

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows raised. He had collapsed beside her on the sofa and was breathing heavily. "Are you alright? Why are you down here?" When he didn't answer her she poked him in the side with her wand.

"I'm fine, Granger." Draco snapped, his eyes closed, batting away her wand which was still focused on him. Then he opened his tired eyes and looked at her. "Why are _you_ down here?"

"I had a horrible nightmare." Hermione whispered, wrapping her arms around her shins and resting her head on her knees.

"What about?" Draco sat up right and watched her as she stared into the flames.

"Bellatrix." She whispered, instinctively covering her left arm with her right hand. Draco's heart squeezed together. "I dreamt that she carved the word Mudblood into me _everywhere_." Hermione shuddered.

Draco looked down at her arm and slowly reached out, removing her hand. He looked down at the disgusting word, running his thumb once over it before resting her arm back on her legs.

"She can't hurt you again." Draco whispered. Hermione looked at him and sighed.

"She still does."

There was a silence before Draco hesitantly lifted up the sleeve of his left arm.

"I'm branded too."

Hermione looked down at the Dark Mark on Draco's forearm. The deep ink contrasted alarmingly with his beautiful milk bottle skin, and she felt a sudden hatred burning inside her that someone could have so easily tainted something so pure.

Hermione reached out and gently placed her warm fingertips on Draco's cold skin, tracing the snake that slithered out of the skull. Draco flinched at her touch.

"Don't." He hissed, moving his arm away. "I don't want anyone to touch it."

"Please." Hermione whispered, reaching for his arm again.

It sickened her to look at it, but she felt that if she touched it, that Draco wouldn't feel so ostracised by the hideous tattoo on his flesh. Draco suddenly grabbed Hermione's wrist and looked up at her, his smouldering grey eyes flashing a warning at her. Hermione held her breath as Draco turned her arm over and stared down at her own mark. Hermione looked at his and she felt a strange connection to the mark on Draco's arm.

"You're not the only one who is constantly reminded of who they are perceived to be." Draco whispered.

"But you're not a Death Eater. Not anymore." Hermione whispered. Draco let go of her arm.

"And you're not a Mudblood. You never was." Draco whispered. Hermione looked up at him with wonderfully round brown eyes, her heart flipping over in her chest. "Blood is blood."

xxx

Harry opened the living room door slowly. Hermione jumped as she saw Harry walking in the room and shifted away from Draco uncomfortably. Harry hardly took any notice as he sat in the armchair and stared off into space.

Hermione tried to control the blush on her face. She wasn't sure why she was blushing – she felt like Harry had just walked in on something intimate. She shuddered as Draco hid his Dark Mark again.

"Harry? You alright?" Hermione whispered, wondering whether Harry was sleep walking. Harry's head snapped up and his eyes blazed at her before he looked away and leaned back in his chair.

"I'm fine. My scar prickles, though." Harry forcefully rubbed at his head. Hermione slid off the sofa and sat on the arm of Harry's chair.

She pushed back Harry's jet black messy mop and ran her thumb over his scar lightly.

"Did you dream of Voldemort again?" Hermione asked, missing Draco shift uncomfortably on the sofa. Harry nodded, leaning his head on her thigh.

"What did you see?" Hermione whispered fearfully.

"I dreamt that he had found us." Harry said, rubbing at his scar again.

"Don't do that." Hermione chided at him. She looked over at Draco, who had strangely gone silent and was trying his best to mold into the sofa and never been seen again. He was clutching at his left arm trying to control the pain on his face.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, having followed Hermione's gaze.

"My mark suddenly burns." Draco whispered quietly, and if Harry and Hermione hadn't have been listening intently for an answer, they would have missed it.

Hermione looked from Draco's arm to Harry's scar, and Draco seemed to understand the second that Hermione did.

"They're here." Hermione whispered, just as there was a deafening roar. The front of Shell Cottage was blown clean off by a "Bombarda!" exposing them to the sea and the sand outside. The wind slapped them hard in the faces as black smoke flew above their heads and Harry, Draco and Hermione frantically piled out the living room door.

"Where's Ron!" Hermione screamed, as she grabbed her magical bag that was hanging off the back of a chair in the kitchen.

Hermione reached out for Draco's hand as he pulled her up the stairs, narrowly avoiding a curse. Harry had already dragged a petrified Ron out of his bedroom and had grabbed Draco by the elbow.

Hermione was the quickest to disapparate them, turning on her heel as the Death Eaters ran up the stairs behind them, throwing curses that crashed into the wall, and they were only to meet thin air as the four teenagers popped out of sight.

xxx

They landed in a field seconds later. Hermione sprang to her feet, throwing her bag to Harry.

"Tent, Harry." Harry nodded and said clearly, while pointing his wand at the bag;

"Accio tent!"

Hermione began to set up wards, walking around the clearing while moving her wand in complicated motions. Harry had set the tent down on the floor where it folded out automatically. Draco watched the whole thing with raised eyebrows.

Harry and Ron entered the tent and began to pull various items out of the bag. Draco cast a glance to Hermione who was still casting wards before he followed them into the tent. Draco was taken aback by the size of the tent, looking around in awe at the beds, kitchenette, sofa..He knew all about magically enhanced tents, but_ this_. This was huge.

"She is amazing." Draco said as he collapsed onto a sofa, looking around.

"She is." Harry sighed. "I wish we didn't have to come back here. We lived in here for months."

"Months?" Draco repeated, shocked. "How could anyone_ live_ in a _tent _for _months_?" Draco wrinkled his nose, disgusted.

"Here he goes, the conceited brat." Ron said, shooting a dark look at Draco. "Excuse us for not making this as fancy as your fucking manor."

"Says you who lived in a run down old hut that looks like if you poked it, it would fall over." Draco sneered childishly, standing up off the sofa and advancing towards Ron.

Harry stood in the middle of them.

"For goodness sake, stop it. Draco, you can't hurt Ron or you die. Literally." Harry reminded Draco, and Draco scowled at both Harry and Ron as Ron smirked satisfied.

"Fine." Draco snapped, moving away.

Hermione entered the tent looking flustered.

"Those wards are the most intense I have ever made them. Hopefully, we shouldn't be tracked or anything."

"Well done Hermione." Harry praised her. Hermione smiled in appreciation and sat down heavily on the sofa next to Draco.

"How the hell did they manage to find us at Shell Cottage?" Ron growled angrily, sitting down on one of the beds nearby. "And penetrate the wards."

"I'm not sure, I had a strange dream that Voldemort found us." Harry shrugged from his position on the floor. "But I never saw him at the cottage just."

"No, it's something else." Hermione said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Theories?" Harry asked.

"None at the moment really, but before when the snatchers found us, they found us through the word 'Voldemort' being tabooed-"

"Then why are you still saying it?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Because, Mr. Malfoy, I managed to figure a way to untaboo it when we got back to the cottage." Hermione smirked proudly.

"That smirk is worthy of Slytherin." Draco jabbed Hermione in the side and she scowled. She sniffed indignantly.

"Anyway, I was wondering whether they had tabooed a different word?" Hermione looked around at three sets of horrified faces.

"But it could be anything!" Draco insisted. Hermione shook her head.

"It would be a word that _we _use often."

"Such as-"

"Don't say it!" Hermione scolded Ron as Harry rolled his eyes at Ron. "If you say it and it is the taboo word we're going to get Death Eaters outside our tent again Ronald." Ron flinched.

"Okay, fine, you got any parchment in that bloody bag of yours?"

"Of course." Hermione pointed her wand at her bag by Harry's feet and said; "Accio writing equipment."

Hermione's favourite white feathered quill, personalised ink pot and plain parchment came zooming out of the bag. Hermione caught the ink pot before it smashed to the floor and Ron stumbled off the bed to grab the quill. He took the parchment and the ink pot off Hermione and began to write.

_Malfoy._

Ron shot a look at Draco.

"Your bloody name is probably tabooed."

"Which one?" Draco's lips twitched.

"Unfortunately the one we call you by."

"Which means everyone's going to have to call him Draco from now on, to make sure." Hermione said. Ron scowled.

"How do you like wanker, instead?"

Draco stuck a finger up to Ron who just smirked. Harry laughed loudly before taking the quill off Ron. He added to the list;

_Dumbledore._

"I have one." Hermione said, reaching over for the quill off Harry.

_Horcruxes._

"That's just great." Harry said sarcastically. "What are we going to call them now?"

"Bits and bobs of Voldemort." Ron roared with laughter as Harry joined in. Hermione shook her head disapprovingly despite her own mouth lifting up into a smile. Draco flinched.

"Can I have the quill?" Draco asked, reaching out for it as Hermione handed it to him. His fingers brushed Hermione's knuckles and he caught his breath, spasms running up his hands. He shook it off before sliding off the couch onto the floor.

_Hogwarts._

"I never thought of that." Hermione said surprised, as she leaned over Draco to read what he wrote. Draco tried not to breathe in her lavender scent.

"We should probably get some sleep." Harry yawned, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "No one say any of those words, okay?" Harry gestured towards the parchment on the floor.

Hermione pointed her wand to it and it suddenly pinned itself to one of the wooden posts holding the magically enhanced tent up. Ron dived into bed as Harry climbed into another one.

Hermione sighed and got into her own bed, only noticing that Draco hadn't followed into a bed of his own.

"Aren't you going to bed, Draco?"

"I'll keep watch." Draco replied, before he slipped out the tent, not even looking at her. Hermione stared at his retreating back with an odd lump in her throat and twinging disappointment.


	7. Chapter VII: Obliviate

**Chapter VII: Obliviate**

Hermione spent an entire hour lying in bed, staring up at the material ceiling of the tent. She was wondering whether or not to go find Draco, as she wasn't sure if he'd strayed too far from out of the wards, exposing himself. Sighing frustratedly she grabbed her wand from under her pillow and shuffled across the tent.

Harry suddenly turned over in bed and watched as Hermione slipped out of the tent. He narrowed his eyes and cast a sound enhancing charm towards the entrance of the tent.

Hermione nearly crashed into Draco as she stumbled out of the tent. He was sitting on the floor, staring at a camp fire he had conjured up. The flames flickered across his pale face, contouring his high cheek bones and reflecting fire into his bottomless grey pits.

"Draco?" Hermione whispered as she hesitantly sat down next to him.

"Granger." Draco replied quietly, not looking at her, as he gave the fire a poke with his magic. The fire hissed and crackled at him.

"Do you want to talk? About what happened." Hermione chewed the inside of her cheek nervously, expecting him to yell right in her face.

There was a long silence.

"No." Draco whispered, as he leant back on his elbows and stared across the dark landscape that stretched out in front of them.

"Draco?" Hermione asked hesitantly, her heart banging painfully against the caves of her chest. Draco looked up at her through his blonde bangs.

"Yes?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you help me?"

There was another long silence as Draco stared at her, his own heart beginning to thump painfully. She was looking at him intently, her chocolate orbs shining with curiosity as she waited for an answer. Draco exhaled painfully.

"I had to." He whispered.

"You could have let me die."

"No." Draco replied, grounding his teeth together in frustration.

"Why did you go against them, jeopardize your parents, your kind, all just to save _me_?" Hermione asked. "I'm nothing but a lowly Mudblood to your kind."

"Don't call yourself that." Draco scolded before he softened his voice. "Granger, I have my reasons. Reasons which I can't tell you right now."

"But why not?" Hermione demanded, growing hot with rising anger. "I want to know why you saved me."

"Can't you just thank me already and forget about it?" Draco snapped at her, his voice harsh and cutting through her. Hermione flinched at his tone and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Thank you for saving my life, Draco." Hermione whispered, staring at the flames.

"Granger?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Hermione shrugged, glancing at him from over her knees.

"Make me forget." Draco whispered. Hermione stared at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Make me forget my parents death." Draco explained clearly. Hermione's eyes widened.

"Draco no-"

"Do it, before I do something I'm likely to regret."

"Like what?" Hermione whispered quietly, tears coming to her eyes. Draco felt a pang in his chest and looked away. He was making her cry, and he had no right to ask her of that. Hermione watched as he winced and looked away, staring at his hands.

Hermione couldn't help but suddenly feel all his anger, his guilt, his anguish as she stared at his handsome face, that had cracked from it's usual expressionless exterior. She couldn't help but feel her own guilt as she felt realisation slice through her core. If she was dead, his parents would still be alive. But if she was dead, Draco would still be in the darkness. Two lives in trading for one. She glanced up at him again, and felt her heart drop.

"Draco?" Hermione whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks as she held back a heart wrenching sob. He looked up as she raised her wand. "Obliviate."

Xxx

The following morning was awkward. Harry refused to look at Hermione properly as they all sat and ate breakfast which consisted of wild berries and various other foods that Hermione had packed in her bag months ago with preservation spells.

Hermione could feel the tension between the four of them, and felt especially uneasy at the strange resentful glances that she could feel Harry sending her way whenever she wasn't looking. Hermione put down her glass of water and looked straight at him.

"What's wrong, Harry?" She asked, unable to take it anymore. He just looked at her and shrugged.

"Nothing."

"There's obviously something wrong." Hermione argued.

"Honestly, it's nothing." Harry lied through his teeth and Hermione could see right through him.

"You're so transparent you know that." Hermione said, crossing her legs underneath her on the floor.

"You're so unbelievable." Harry snapped back irritably and grabbed a slice of toast before storming out of the tent.

Hermione stared after him with a forlorn look on her face. Both Ron and Draco looked at her.

"Do you want me to ask him what his problem is?" Ron asked. Hermione shook her head.

"No, I'll go talk to him." Hermione abandoned her breakfast and stepped out the tent.

She was welcomed by a chilly frosty morning, the grass glazed with morning dew. Hermione breathed in sharply, smelling the scents of an English morning.

"Harry?" Hermione whispered, coming up behind him as he stood just inches away from the ending of the wards she'd set up yesterday.

"How could you do it, Hermione?" Harry asked heatedly as he spun around to face her. Hermione looked at him bewildered.

"Do what?"

"You know what I'm talking about." Harry replied through gritted teeth. "You Obliviated Draco!"

Hermione stared at him with horror.

"How would you know that?" She cast a silencing charm around them, pretty sure the other two boys were being nosy.

"I was listening in." Harry said, guiltily, casting her a quick apologetic glance. Hermione's face flushed.

"Harry!" Hermione scolded, her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I was just, well, curious." Harry shrugged and refused to meet her angry and penetrating gaze.

"More like bloody nosey." Hermione retorted. She folded her arms as Harry bravely looked up at her, with the sense to look guilty.

"Why did you do it?" Harry asked her again. Hermione suddenly looked uncomfortable, shifting from one foot to the other.

"I had to Harry." Hermione whispered. "He was so hurt, and angry and.." Hermione gulped. "Was it wrong Harry? Did I do the right thing? I couldn't bare to see someone like that. I was also afraid he'd break the the vow because of his guilt."

Harry's face softened.

"I think it was wrong." Harry replied and Hermione's face fell. "But do _you_ think it was wrong?"

"No." Hermione said instantly without hesitation and Harry smiled at her.

"Well, there you go."

xxx

"What do you think they're talking about?" Draco asked as he dipped a spoon in Hermione's cereal.

"Not a bloody clue." Ron said, staring furiously at the cartoon of orange juice like it had just tried to send a Dark Curse towards him.

"Has that orange juice offended you in the past?" Draco joked lightly, and Ron snapped his head up. "It's just you're staring at like it's just tried to strangle you."

"Yes, that bloody juice tried to drown me." Ron replied sarcastically. Draco chuckled.

"Do they do that often?" Draco glanced towards the door.

"What? Have private little glances between one another like they're talking without speaking and then go off and have a private little chat? Oh yes, all the bloody time." Ron threw his slice of toast across the tent in a fit of rage. Draco raised an eyebrow and watched as the toast flung across the room and landed in the kitchenette.

"Hm. I see." Draco nodded in a knowing sort of way.

"See? See what?" Ron looked bewildered as he stared at Draco.

"Is there something going on between them two?" Draco asked, as he fixed his eyes on his breakfast.

"I-They say not." Ron shrugged as he eyed the front of the tent with contempt. They couldn't hear a bloody thing that was being said outside, and they'd concluded after about five minutes that they had cast a Silencing charm. They had then tried to remove it, but it seemed Hermione had it firmly in place.

"But you don't believe them." Draco mumbled. Ron shook his head.

"I don't, the locket-" Ron stopped short and shovelled five berries into his mouth. Draco looked up curiously.

"The locket?"

"The locket, one of Voldemort's h-" Ron stopped, remembering that the word Horcrux was currently tabooed. "The locket contained bits and bobs of Voldemort." Ron chuckled humourlessly. "It shows your worst nightmares. It-"

"It what?"

"It showed Harry and Hermione. They were kissing." Ron dug his nails into his palm.

"It was obviously trying to trick you." Draco said, feeling alarmed at the sudden drop of his stomach.

"What if there was some truth in it though?" Ron asked. "What if there's something going on between Hermione and Harry?"

"I doubt it, Weasley." Draco said and reached over for the juice. "They're like brother and sister, even I can see that. Don't allude yourself that she'd ever chose the likes of you, though."

"See, there you go!" Ron shouted suddenly. Draco raised a smart eyebrow. "We were actually having a civil conversation, which, just to let you know, I decided would be okay because I'm fed up of all the tension, and then you ruin it by insulting me."

"Oh, but you see Weasley, this acquaintance wouldn't be half as exciting as it is without my regular insults and your regular mood swings from said insults." Draco smirked.

"You bloody Slytherin." Ron mumbled and Draco chuckled to himself, reaching over for another spoonful of Hermione's delicious honey cereal.

I promise that the next chapter will have a bit more action – maybe they'll find another Horcrux?... :) Please review, and thank you for all the ones so far! :)


	8. Chapter VIII: Knockturn Alley

As promised, a more interesting chapter.

**Chapter VIII: Knockturn Alley**

The foursome were all sitting on the sofa of the tent. Three long fruitless days had passed since Draco was Obliviated. Right now Hermione was reading, to no one's surprise, Ron was eating, again, to no one's surprise and Draco and Harry were practising Occulmency.

"You've got to bloody well clear your mind, Potter." Draco snapped after five harsh minutes of silence. Harry sighed and clutched at his head, feeling a rather powerful migraine coming on. "The Dark Lord is going to be able to read you like Hermione reads books."

Hermione shot Draco a narrowed glance from being her dusty volume.

"You sound like Snape." Harry groaned as he rubbed at his eyes with his index fingers under his glasses.

"I hope Snape wasn't lenient on you, your Occulmency is crap." Draco sighed tiredly.

"How are you such a skilled Legilimens?" Harry asked, eyeing Draco who shifted uncomfortably.

"The Dark Lord insisted on teaching me." Draco shrugged like it was nothing, but Harry saw right through his façade.

"Why don't you ever say his name?" Harry asked. The atmosphere seemed to freeze as Ron stopped eating, pausing mid shovelling a chicken leg in his mouth as Hermione almost dropped her heavy book on the floor. This was something they'd never spoke about amongst them, but was a subject they'd all thought about.

"Clear your mind, Potter." Draco ordered and delved into Harry's mind before Harry could even wipe his memory, running his mental eye over Harry's thoughts and memories.

_Harry stared angrily as Draco stood in front of the headmaster, his wand pointed at his chest. He was annoyed he couldn't move, and it took him a moment to realise that Dumbledore had body binded and silenced him. Suddenly, Snape ran up the stairs and without hesistation flung the killing curse towards Dumbledore, who stumbled backwards and tumbled over the side of the battlements. Harry let out a silent scream, staring dumbstruck at the spot Dumbledore previously occupied -_

"NO!" Harry yelled, forcefully shoving Draco out of his mind. Draco stumbled off the sofa and landed on the floor. Draco stared at Harry.

"What's the matter? What happened?" Hermione asked frantically, lowering her book.

"Nothing." Harry breathed, panting heavily. "Draco just stumbled upon something between me and Ginny." Harry lied and felt an uneasy twinge.

"Whatever you saw, do not tell me. Ever." Ron said, as he threw a chicken bone on the plate.

"They were proper going for it, literally eating each other's face-" Draco started joking, but Harry kicked him in the shin and Ron started gagging. Draco roared with laughter and Hermione's face lit up with amusement, listening in as she read her book.

"That was good, Potter." Draco praised as he hauled himself onto the sofa again. "We should probably stop for now, though." Draco looked at him severely and Harry shrugged at him.

"I can do this." Harry mentally built walls and braced himself. He could feel Draco's mental eye probing at his mind, and felt with satisfaction Draco's dissatisfaction at not being able to break through Harry's mind.

"You win, Potter." Draco grinned and withdrew himself from Harry's mind.

"I found something!" Hermione shrieked suddenly, standing up off the sofa with her giant book in her arms. Everyone looked up at her.

"This book mentions Rowena Ravenclaw!" Hermione squealed excited.

"That is so fascinating." Draco mocked and Hermione scowled at him. Harry leapt up off the chair and leant over Hermione's shoulder and scanned the page.

"Hermione this was what we were-"

"I know it's what we were-"

"-thinking, do you think we are-"

"-right, yes I think we might-"

"-be. We were right, Hermione."

"Would you stop that, it's creepy." Draco said, as he watched Hermione and Harry finishing each other's sentences. He noticed with satisfaction Ron scowling.

"Sorry, but Hermione's onto something!" Harry grinned at her and she beamed.

"I think I've found out where another of Voldemort's bits and bobs is" Hermione nearly jumped up and down on the spot with excitement.

"Enlighten us."

"Rowena Ravenclaw owned a beautiful diadem, and her selfish daughter Helena Ravenclaw stole the diadem in attempt to become more intelligent than her mother. The Bloody Baron searched for Helena Ravenclaw, so she fled to Albania and hid the diadem in a hollow tree. The Bloody Baron murdered her and she became the ghost of Ravenclaw at Hogwarts." Hermione recited from the book.

"Are you telling me, that Voldemort has a bit of his soul in some princess tiara that is now in Albania?" Ron stared at Hermione.

Hermione opened and closed her mouth like a fish before stating simply;

"Yes."

"But it's in _Albania_." Ron stated the obvious.

"Yes I know that Ronald." Hermione said huffily.

"Do you realise how many trees there are in Albania?" Ron raised his hands in exasperation.

"Yes we realise Ron, but I don't think it's in Albania." Harry whispered. Everyone looked at him. "I remember seeing an old tarnished tiara in the Room of Requirement."

"So, one's been in the school the entire time?" Hermione's eyebrows nearly got lost in her hairline.

"Wait, what did this tiara look like?" Draco asked, something stirring in his memory.

"Like a tiara?" Harry looked at Draco stupidly. "Excuse me for not being mesmerised by a bloody crown."

"Do you remember anything specific about it?" Harry wondered for a moment then clicked his fingers.

"It had a huge stone in the middle and was shaped like a bird."

"What kind of bird?"

"I don't bloody know! It was a god damn bird." Harry snapped.

"It's probably an eagle. It's the animal of the Ravenclaw house." Hermione piped up, but no one seemed to take any notice.

"That tiara isn't in the Room of Requirement." Draco stated and leant back on the sofa.

"Yes it is. You calling me a liar?" Harry snapped angrily.

"I saw that tiara in Borgin and Burkes about three months ago."

"What were you doing in Borgin and Burkes?" Hermione asked, who had closed the book and was sat on the edge of the sofa, watching Harry and Draco.

"Something." Draco replied, closing the subject. "But it's definitely in there, I remember seeing it. I was quite fascinated by it, actually."

"Don't think it would have suited you." Harry grinned and Draco scowled.

"We need to get to Borgin and Burkes."

"No, it's in the Room of Requirement."

"Trust me, Potter, it's not."

"It is!"

"We could at least try Borgin and Burkes and then go to Hogwarts if it isn't in there." Hermione reasoned and Harry huffed loudly, defeated.

"Great! Well let's go."

"Wait!" Hermione said. "We need to prepare. We can't just turn up as Harry Potter, Hermione and Ron and Draco, the most wanted ex-Death Eater of the Year."

"Okay, how about Polyjuice potion?"

"No, I am not taking Polyjuice potion. They know me at that shop, I don't need it."

"I don't care Draco, you're a wanted man." Hermione folded her arms. Draco raised an amused eyebrow.

"Am I really?" Draco winked and Hermione blushed fiercely.

"I meant-"

"Get a rooooom." Ron nearly gagged as he strode across the tent. Hermione blushed even harder and waited for the ground to open her up and swallow her whole.

"Come on, we're going to have to disillusion ourselves and then Draco can just get the tiara." Harry muttered.

"I'm going to just walk in there and buy it."

"I'm sorry?" Harry said, turning around to the pale boy.

"I'll buy it." Draco repeated.

"Borgin is just going to tell Voldemort you've just been to his shop!"

"Trust me, Potter."

Harry sighed inwardly. He could almost feel coils of trust around his forearm as Draco told him to trust him. _If he breaks this bloody vow.._

"Okay, fine." Hermione grabbed her bag and put it over her shoulder, resting it on her opposite hip. She packed away the tent into it. She pointed her wand at herself and disillusioned herself, as did Ron and Harry. Draco picked up his cloak and fashioned it to have a huge hood.

Draco slid into it uneasily, feeling like it was suffocating him. Hermione backed away, unknown to the others, suddenly feeling smothered as she looked at Draco, who was half hidden behind the hood. He had never looked more like a Death Eater as he stood outside with them, his wand in his pale hand.

Hermione couldn't breathe. It had unnerved her. She was suddenly terrified, irrationally so. It's just Draco, he's not going to harm you, she tried to convince herself. He wouldn't.

"Are we going to get moving?" Draco said, as he felt Harry grip his shoulder confidently, Ron grab his other one hesitantly. He frowned. "Granger?"

Hermione pulled herself together and gripped onto Harry's hand, before quickly brushing her fingertips over Draco's hand to let him know she was there. Draco felt spasms run along his knuckles as he disapparated them to Knockturn Alley.

xxx

Draco, Hermione, Ron and Harry all tumbled into Knockturn Alley – well, Draco landed gracefully on his feet while the disillusioned Golden Trio sprawled onto the cobblestones. Draco sighed and started walking, his shoulders back and his head in the air.

Harry pulled himself to his feet and grabbed hold of Hermione's wrist, dragging her up with him as he followed Draco towards Borgin and Burkes with Ron hot on his heels. Harry had an uneasy feeling about this, and his scar prickled with heat. He rubbed at it furiously.

Draco couldn't keep his hands from shaking. He remembered very clearly the last time he was here, all to do with a cursed opal necklace and a Vanishing Cabinet. Draco visibly shuddered and continued walking, leading the trio through narrow twisted side alleys and along cobbled pathways. He knew Knockturn Alley like the back of his hand.

Hermione kept closely by Harry, holding onto his arm for dear life. She'd been to Knockturn Alley before, many times, of course not by aspiration but she'd been there nonetheless. It still scared her though; the strange people and dark shops gave her the creeps.

They had to narrowly dodge the strange witches and wizards as they squeezed through tight spaces to Borgin and Burkes, and Hermione had nearly collided heavily with a tall man with a long nose who seemed too crazy to even acknowledge a disillusioned witch.

Finally, they stopped outside a run down old shop with dusty windows and an old sign creaking in the still air. Draco took a deep breath and walked inside the Borgin and Burkes. The little bell tingled as he entered and Borgin looked up from behind the counter.

Borgin grinned at the sight of a new customer, and wasn't the slightest bit unnerved by the cloak.

"What may I do for you?" He asked. Draco smirked and lowered his hood, looking straight into the eyes of a suddenly nervous Borgin.

"M-Mr. Malfoy!" Borgin stuttered, staring at the pale young Draco Malfoy in his shop.

"I wish to purchase something." Draco stated, rather obviously. Borgin stared at him wide eyed and Draco felt a familiar rush of satisfaction at the sight of fear in Borgin's eyes.

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy, what would you like?" Borgin began to shuffle around the room, trying his hardest not to look at the Death Eater standing in front of him. "Is it for the Dark Lord, sir?"

"You're brave, questioning the Dark Lord." Draco smirked. "No, Borgin. This is a..._personal_ purchase, shall we say." Draco reached into his cloak pocket and pulled out a heavy pouch. He dropped it on the counter with a clink. "I am willing to be _very_ generous."

"You must certainly want this item, Mr. Malfoy."

"Oh, I certainly do." Draco wandered around the shop, letting his eyes wander over the familiar items that he once dreamed he would one day own.

"What is it you're looking for?" Borgin asked, as he shuffled boxes to somewhere to his right.

Draco hardly noticed Borgin, for he was staring at a beautiful tiara, laced with jewels and a giant blue stone, all encrusted on the wings of an eagle.

"I would like to purchase this tiara." Draco said, wanting to reach out and touch it but afraid to even lay a finger on it.

"Oh, the tiara? Yes, yes. Valuable item, you understand Mr. Malfoy."

"Did I or did I not state I was willing to be _very _generous, Borgin?"

"Of course Mr. Malfoy, I-I apologise." Borgin shuffled over to him.

"Wrap it up for me." Draco ordered and moved towards the counter.

"Certainly. Is it for someone special?"

"Yes, it is, actually." Draco smirked and Borgin smirked back.

"A lady, I assume."

"Of course, whom else?"

"Hardly your taste though, ."

"I dare say. But it is her taste, that's all that matters, right?" Draco said, as he watched Borgin wrap up the diadem that belonged to the Ravenclaws.

"Of course." Borgin winked.

Draco picked up Borgin's half read copy of the Daily Prophet from the counter. He flipped it over and scanned the front page. He was glad to see he didn't grace the cover any longer.

"Mr. Malfoy, forgive me if this is bold to say sir, but the whole of the Wizarding world is out looking for you and you're purchasing a _tiara._"

"Your point?"

"Nothing."

"Borgin." Draco said lazily, his wand now trained on Borgin. Borgin let go of the now wrapped up diadem and stared at Draco's wand.

"Mr. Malfoy! Please, spare me."

"You're pathetic. I'm not going to kill you." Draco spat. "Thank you for my diadem though."

"Your what?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Imperio."

Borgin blinked, a dazed look on his face.

_You will tell no one Draco Malfoy has been to your shop._

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy."

_No one purchased the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw._

"No, they didn't."

_If the Dark Lord asks, the diadem was stolen. _

"The diadem was stolen."

"Good." Draco smiled. "Thank you for the diadem, Borgin." Draco picked up the wrapped up diadem and pushed the pouch of money towards the still dazed Borgin. He was many things, but he was not a thief. "Good day, Mr. Borgin."

Thank you for all the reviews!

**Privatenites**: Thank you, and I promise that there will be more intimate Dramione stuff, I just decided to wait a bit before plunging straight into it but there will be some ;) I will update, asap!

**Haley**: Thank you! All this detail takes me ages and maybe some lurrvv will blossom ;)

**Dracolover**: Thank you! Promise there will be some more intimate Dramione stuff :)

I've already wrote the next chapter, and there isn't any intimate Dramione stuff (please don't kill me) but I promise there will be in chapter 10 :)


	9. Chapter IX: Veritaserum

**Chapter IX: Veritaserum**

The foursome had apparated to a small woodland off the coast of Aberdeen. They had set up the tent again and cast protective wards before collapsing in a tired heap in the tent.

"Well done." Harry congratulated as Draco lay the package down on the floor. Hermione sighed and reached over, unwrapping the package.

"Be careful." Harry warned as Hermione tore the package off the tiara. She stared at it.

It was beautiful. A golden eagle encrusted in jewels, harnessing a giant blue on in the middle. Hermione was mesmerised. She reached over and picked it up, examining it.

Coldness seeped into her as she ran her fingers over it. She felt like a heavy weight had landed on her head as she held onto the tiara. She frowned as she looked up at Draco and suddenly the anger that had been rising in her from Knockturn Alley exploded.

_He's deceived you, Hermione. You saw it with your own eyes..._

She stood up, whipping her wand out and training it on a now bewildered Draco.

"Hermione what are you doing!" Harry hissed but Hermione just pointed her wand at him.

"Don't!" Hermione screeched.

"Calm down-" Draco started but Hermione flung a stunning jinx towards him, which Draco narrowly avoided by diving behind the sofa.

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

"She hates that." Ron muttered.

_Ron. He's put you through so much, Hermione. Remember when he chose Lavender, remember when he left you, all alone..._

"YOU! You shut up!" Hermione felt utterly hysterical as she pointed her wand at Ron who looked petrified. "Don't you even dare. I hate you, I hate you so much. What you put me through, when you left, I hate you for it."

"Hermione, please." Harry started but Hermione screamed and slammed Harry into the side of the tent with a powerful levitating spell. Harry groaned on the floor.

"Granger!"

_He never calls you by your real name, Hermione. Not like I do._

"GRANGER? Why do you never call me _Hermione_?" Hermione screamed, as Draco reappeared from behind the sofa.

"I-"

"Shut up. Don't even talk." Hermione said, threatening with her wand again. "I saw what you did in Borgin and Burkes. I saw how you treated him."

"I was getting the bloody tiara!" Draco yelled angrily, pulling his own wand out. Then he thought better at the sight of Hermione's red face and pulsing temple and stuffed it back in his pocket.

_He used an Unforgivable. How can you forgive him for that? _

"You didn't have to use the Imperius Curse on him!" Hermione screeched, reaching boiling point. She had no idea why she was so angry. She was angry at him, yes, but this, this was a rage that was taking over her. "I heard you."

"I couldn't have him trace us." Draco replied, breathing heavily through his nose.

"Hermione, put the tiara down." Harry ordered from his position on the floor.

_Harry Potter. He thinks he can control everything. Not this time. And this tiara is yours, my dear._

"No! Don't you tell me what to do, Harry Potter." Hermione hissed, wiping her hair from her face with her hand. "Draco, those curses are unforgivable for a reason."

"I used it for a good reason."

"Dark Arts are not for good reason!"

_Tut tut, Hermione._

"What if they were used to save you? To save you all? Are they so evil then?"

"Shut up!" Hermione screamed, grabbing hold of her head. "Just shut up." She breathed heavily.

"Listen, I had to do it."

"No, there are other ways!"

"What, would you have wanted me to kill him? Eh, Granger? Because it wouldn't be the first time I killed someone to cover my tracks!"

_He's killed, Hermione. He's taken another's life without even blinking. He could take your life without even caring. _

Hermione stopped moving, staring at him with glassy eyes. She swayed dangerously on the spot.

"I know you've killed, you're a Death Eater. You always will be." Hermione felt sick as she leant heavily on one of the posts of the tent. "That's what you do, you kill people. You're_ sick_."

"Go on, Hermione, hate me." Draco whispered. Hermione barely registered he'd used her first name.

_You hate him, Hermione. You hate him, hate him. He enjoyed performing that beautiful curse, Hermione._

"I do. I hate you, Draco." Hermione pointed her wand at him higher, right at his chest. "We should never have trusted you. I saw the way you looked at him when you used that curse. You enjoyed it. Admit it."

"I enjoyed it." Draco whispered. "I enjoyed seeing him so scared, I enjoyed the way it felt to have power but Hermione, I've given it all up."

_Liar. _

"You're a liar." Hermione whispered. "I don't trust you, not anymore. After everything you've done before. You've tried to hurt me in the past."

"I have ne-"

"Don't, lie." Hermione let the angry tears fall down her cheeks. "You called me Mudblood whenever you had the chance. I've been called it by so many people. Slytherins, Death Eaters even Voldemort himself. But whenever you said it, you made me _feel_ like a Mudblood. You made me who I am, and you let it be branded on my arm." Hermione wrenched her sleeve up, exposing the cruel word etched on her arm.

"I would never call you that again, you know that!" Draco yelled angrily.

_Why did he save you, Hermione? He wants to kill you, he wanted to do it himself. You can't trust him Hermione, he's only trying to hurt you._

"Tell me, why did you save me, Draco?" Hermione whispered. "Was it to kill me yourself afterwards?"

Harry stared at his best friend. He'd never seen her act this crazy. He'd never seen her so hurt. Not even when Ron left. Ron was currently staring at her too, shock all over his face. They just remained silent, unable to speak.

"No! Of course not!" Draco insisted.

"Why did you save me?" Hermione asked, sobbing now. "And you bloody well tell me this time."

"I saved you because I couldn't lose you, alright." Draco said, forgetting that Ron and Harry were currently witnessing the entire argument unfold. "You were going to die and I couldn't let that happen."

_If you were dead, his parents wouldn't be._

"You should have just let it happen Draco. If I were dead, your parents would still be alive."

"My parents are dead?" Draco said blankly. He stumbled backwards and stared at her. Hermione stared back.

(_Hermione whispered his name. He looked up, eyeing her wand as she whispered; Obliviate)_

"You Obliviated me." Draco whispered, remembering. Hermione stared at him. She felt herself wobbling on her feet. She squinted at him and suddenly felt her heart tear in two. _Draco._

"Draco?" She whispered. "I'm so.." _Don't. He hurt you. He deserves to hurt. Make him hurt, Hermione. _"Voldemort killed your parents, and it's all your fault."

Draco's face cracked.

"No..."

"Yes, Draco. You killed them when you chose me over them. They're _dead._" Hermione felt unstable again and could barely concentrate on her own thoughts as dark malicious ones forced their way to the forefront of her mind. "I was beginning to like you, trust you, you know that? Then you do_ that_. In that shop, you were a Death Eater again."

"I'm not in the darkness anymore, Hermione." Draco pleaded with her, pain still ripping through him about his parents, but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt tearing him apart at Hermione's words.

_You can't escape the darkness. Draco will never escape the darkness, Hermione._

"Yes you are. You can never escape it. It's like a big black hole that sucks you in and no light ever finds it's way in."

"Yes it does. You did, Hermione." Draco said. "If you wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had reason to make a stand."

"Stop it." Hermione snapped. _He's hurt you Hermione, but he won't tell you. Make him tell you how much he's hurt you, Hermione._

"Accio Veritaserum." Hermione pointed her wand at her bag and a small vial filled with midnight black liquid flew towards her. "I want the truth. I want _you_ tell me all the times you've hurt me. Drink it." Hermione ordered, throwing the glass towards Draco who with impressive reflexes, caught it without flinching.

"I can tell you the truth without drinking this." Draco said, looking at the vial with contempt.

_Liar. _The voice taunted.

"Drink it." Hermione ordered again, her wand trained on him as Draco unstopped it and took a small sip.

"Tell me the last time you tried to hurt me."

"The last school year." Draco replied before he could stop himself. But he didn't even try.

"What did you try and do?"

"The cursed opal necklace was meant for you." Draco whispered. Hermione stared at him. "I was ordered by the Dark Lord to give it to you, for you to wear, as a gift. He wanted to take out those closest to Potter. Eventually it would end up in Dumbledore's possession, and kill him too. But I had to give it to Katie Bell. I couldn't let it hurt you."

_He's still lying to you Hermione. I would never hurt you. Not like Draco did.._

"Hermione, this is enough. Put the tiara down NOW!" Harry ordered, finding his voice again, and before Hermione could do anything, he had stunned her. Hermione fell forwards into Draco's arms, the tiara falling from her limp, cold fingers.

Let me know what you think of this chapter, I wanted to get it right. Hermione was rather hysterical there. I love hysterical Hermione. I was looking forward to making this chapter more angst filled. But, as promised the next chapter will be more intimate Dramione :) Please review, thank you :)


	10. Chapter X: Carrow

**Chapter X: Carrow**

It had been almost a week since Hermione's Horcrux inflicted breakdown. Harry and Draco had spent nearly every waking minute of that week tending to an unconscious Hermione while juggling ways to destroy the diadem. With luck, they had, using FiendFyre. Ron had been no help at all, choosing to reside in the corner of the tent with his radio.

Hermione was sat on the sofa with Draco, but neither of them spoke. Draco had immersed himself in one of Hermione's thick volumes while Hermione just simply watched him. She studied the way he furrowed his brow whenever he came across something in the book he didn't understand, she studied the way he would incline his head toward her without moving his eyes from the page whenever she moved slightly. In the end she was growing rather tired.

"Draco?" She whispered nervously. Draco stopped reading. He closed his book and hesitantly looked up at her. They stared at each other awkwardly. Hermione opened her mouth like a fish then shut it again.

"Hermione." Draco acknowledged her. His heart was thrumming in his chest painfully as she looked at him with wide curious eyes.

"I'm ready to talk to you." Hermione said. "About what happened."

"Well I'm not." Draco replied cruelly, standing up and depositing Hermione's book on the floor. He meant to stride off but Hermione suddenly grabbed his wrist. She looked up at him with pleading mocha eyes.

"Hear me out. You deserve an explanation."

"You explained pretty fully the other day how you feel about me, Hermione." Draco replied stiffly, her hand still wrapped tightly and urgently around his wrist.

"Please. You have to understand I didn't mean any of it."

"Oh really? I'm pretty sure the Dark Lord prefers to feed off true facts and manipulate them rather than be childish to create new ones." Draco sneered. "Everything you said, you meant."

"No." Hermione's eyes gathered with tears. "Please, Draco. I need to explain. I need to make you understand."

"I understand!" Draco yelled, tearing his wrist from her grasp. "I understand that you hate me. I understand how you see me. I understand that I am everything you despise, everything you fight against. I understand that I hurt you. That I'm _hurting_ you."

Hermione had tears running down her cheeks now. Draco let out a strangled sound of anguish and fell to the floor by her legs. He rested his head on her knees, exhausted.

"Draco." Hermione whispered, running a hand through his ash white locks. He didn't move. "Give me a chance to explain."

"I'm scared." Draco admitted, still not looking at her.

"I'm scared too." Hermione whispered, as she slid off the sofa and sat in front of him. She held his face in her hands and forced him to look up at her. Draco's stormy eyes blazed at her with apprehension. "Please."

After a moments hesitation, Draco nodded.

Hermione took a deep breath.

"I am human. Humans doubt. I had doubts about you. About this entire thing. I've always had doubts, Draco." Hermione paused, but Draco just looked at her waiting expectantly.

"Tom Riddle forced me to face those doubts, forced me to side with them-"

"Who's Tom Riddle?" Draco interrupted.

"He's the teenage Voldemort." Hermione replied, noticing Draco flinch. She took hold of his hand. "There's no need to fear his name."

"I don't." Draco lied and Hermione sighed, choosing to carry on her story.

"I doubted your trust. Your alliance. I have seen you as a Death Eater for so long, Draco. And even though I know that you're not one anymore, that notion is still hard to fathom at times."

Draco breathed heavily through his nose.

"I know what you were. I know what you've done."

"You don't know the half of it, Hermione."

"I don't wish to know the details, but I know the facts." Hermione sighed. "I feel so much guilt over the fact that your parents are gone because of me."

"That was not your fault." Draco said forcefully, looking up at her. "I condemned them to their deaths. I chose you. I will always chose you."

"I'm grateful you saved my life, Draco." Hermione whispered, more tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm grateful you saved mine." Draco replied, reaching out to swipe away her tears with his thumb. She looked at him questioningly. "If I hadn't have saved you, I would have been condemned to that hell forever."

"Draco, I'm so sorry I Obliviated you." Hermione wiped away her fresh tears with her fingertips. "Even if you did ask me to, I shouldn't have."

"I shouldn't have asked you."

"I'm sorry about everything." Hermione whispered.

"I'm sorry too." Draco replied.

"I know, Draco." Hermione whispered.

"You need to understand I would never hurt you. Not again." Draco grasped her shoulders tightly. Urgently. She _needed _to understand.

"I need to know something." Hermione whispered. "You didn't mean what you said, did you? About..About cursing Borgin?"

Draco's heart stopped.

"What did I say?" He evaded. Hermione's heart deflated. She closed her eyes.

"You said you enjoyed it. Seeing the fear. Feeling the power you had over him."

"You must understand that the Dark Lord had nailed that into me. It's something I'm trying hard to avoid." Draco hung his head, staring down at his hands. Hermione suddenly enveloped him in a hug, pulling him flush against her.

"I understand." Hermione whispered, as Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and leant into her, inhaling her lavender scent.

"Did you manage to destroy the diadem?" Hermione whispered, her breath tickling Draco's neck.

"Yeah, Harry and I figured that we could use FiendFyre." Draco replied.

"Just you and Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I'm sorry Hermione but Ron hasn't even spoken to any of us." Draco said, looking at her. Hermione looked back at him expressionless.

"I can't apologise to him for what I said, because I meant it." Draco looked shocked. "I will not apologise to him. I can't."

"I understand." Draco replied, taking her cheek in his hand. His cool hand calmed her hot, flushed face and she leaned into his touch. She leant towards him, and Draco realised with a pang what she wanted. What _he_ wanted. Draco pulled her face close to him as he bent his head down to her.

Hermione's eyes fluttered shut as she felt Draco's warm plush lips on her own, tentative and gentle. Hermione moved her lips ever so slightly, and Draco indulged her a sudden passionate kiss, leaning her back on the couch. Hermione sighed and ran her fingers through Draco's blonde hair, getting lost in the kiss as Draco explored her mouth...

There was a sudden bang from outside the tent, causing Draco and Hermione to jump violently as they diffused their lips. Ron and Harry suddenly came running inside, yelling.

"Quick! They've found us again!" Harry roared as he dived over the sofa to collect Hermione's bag. Hermione and Draco stood up from the floor and whipped out their wands.

"What do you mean, they've found us?" Draco yelled as he grabbed various things and shoved them into Hermione's bag, that Harry was holding open.

"Have the wards been breached?"

"Not yet, but me and Ron had ventured out of them-"

"You did _what_?" Hermione screeched frantically. "Okay everyone out the tent!" She ordered, and all three boys hastened to comply. Hermione magically folded the tent up and stuffed it in her bag, which Harry flung over his shoulder. If it wasn't such a drastic situation, Hermione would have found the sight of Harry Potter with her purple beaded bag over his shoulder rather funny.

"We've got to get out of here." Draco said, grabbing her hand.

"Stop!" Someone ordered, and the foursome froze on the spot. Hermione fearfully turned around with the boys and stared at the ten Death Eaters standing in front of them, having now breached the wards. She distantly registered Draco lace his fingers with hers.

"Ah, Draco, my boy." Draco narrowed his eyes at Amycus Carrow, who twirled his wand around and around in his fingers.

"Carrow." Draco acknowledged curtly.

"So it's true then."

"What's true then?"

"What everyone's saying. That you've abandoned us and formed an alliance with Potter, Weasley and their whore." Carrow smirked at Hermione, his eyes wandering up and down her body approvingly. Hermione shuddered and Draco grasped her hand even tighter, almost crushing her fingers.

"I suggest you wipe that smug look off your face, Carrow, before I wipe it off for you." Draco spat, his wand pointed at him. Carrow only laughed, along with the other nine Death Eaters.

"Listen to me, boy. You're the Dark Lord's number one priority right now, and if you don't offer yourself up, we'll kill the girl."

Draco's breathing stopped.

"Over my dead body." Draco snapped and sent a stinging jinx at Carrow, who smartly evaded it with a deflecting charm. Suddenly a whole fight broke out, Harry and Ron sending curse after curse towards the Death Eaters, only managing to bring down three between them.

Hermione had detached herself from Draco and sent a hex towards one of the Death Eaters who was coming her way. It hit him squarely in the chest as she watched satisfied at the blood pouring from his torso. Hermione spun around and hit another one in the face with a stunning jinx. He howled loudly before crumpling backwards onto the floor, unconscious.

"Hermione!" Harry yelled, running over to her and grasping her wrist, Ron's wrist in his other hand. "We need to get out of here."

"Where's Draco?" Hermione yelled, her heart thumping in her chest as she scanned the chaos in front of her. She spotted him duelling with Carrow, and then suddenly he'd gone. The world seemed to spin violently as she realised he'd fell to the floor, unmoving.

"DRACO!" She screamed, ripping herself from Harry's grasp, who called out to her but she barely noticed as she blindly ran towards Carrow.

"Avada Kadavra!" She screeched loudly and unhesitatingly, her wand pointed right at him. Carrow didn't even have time to raise his wand as Hermione's killing curse hit him squarely between the eyes. He crumpled to the floor. Hermione barely noticed that Harry and Ron were trying to take down the remaining two Death Eaters.

Hermione fell to the floor beside Draco. There was blood pouring from his head and his jaw was at an odd angle. She carefully hoisted him up onto her bent legs and rested his head on her stomach.

"Episkey." She whispered at his head, the blood instantly vanishing. Hermione hissed at the rather large deep slash across his forehead and went about fusing it together. She pointed her wand at Draco's broken jaw and whispered; "Brackium Emendo." It felt strangely familiar, as she remembered Draco performing these very spells on her. Satisfied at the sickening crunch of Draco's jaw realigning itself she pointed her wand at him again and whispered; "Enervate."

Draco's eyes snapped open, groaning groggily. Hermione let out a breath of relief.

"Draco?" She whispered, his head in her hands. "You okay?" Draco looked up at her. She was upside down.

"I'm peachy." He groaned sarcastically and struggled to stand up.

"Harry has my bag with my strength replenishing potions, so you're going to have to hold on while I disapparate us out of here. So don't you dare pass out on me."

"Oh god." Draco groaned.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled, as Harry and Ron came running over. They all grasped at each other and disapparated.

xxx

They did the usual. Set up the tent. Put up wards. It was all tiresome really, but Hermione was grateful she wasn't the one putting them up, although she did wonder whether Harry and Ron had managed to put them up strongly enough. She hoisted Draco onto her shoulder and dragged him into the tent, dropping him rather painfully on the sofa.

Draco grunted and rolled over, almost falling off the edge.

"Oh no you don't." Hermione said as she grabbed him and shoved him back on the sofa. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Humph." Was her reply, as Draco buried his head in a cushion.

Hermione pointed her wand at her bag that Harry had given her and with shaking fingers said;

"Accio potions."

Various potions came zooming into her hands. She discarded the ones she didn't need and rushed over to Draco.

"Okay, this one is for the pain." Hermione informed as she raised the vial to Draco's lips. He gagged but Hermione forced his mouth shut with her hand under his chin. "Swallow it." She ordered. He complied then gagged again.

"It's not that bad, stop complaining you drama queen." Hermione poked him playfully in the ribs and he grunted, only half managing to stick his tongue out at her. "This potion is for strength."

Draco took this one with only a slight wince. He could already feel energy rushing through him. He sat up properly on the sofa and looked at her.

"Thanks."

"I guess this makes us even." Hermione grinned and disposed of the empty potion bottles. Draco grinned back.

"Wards are up. I'm getting rather tired of this whole being ambushed then having to flee thing." Harry said as he plopped himself down on the sofa and inspected his wounds.

"I wonder how they found us." Draco asked and Harry shrugged.

"Beats me."

"Where are we?"

"I went on a camping trip here in Muggle school." Harry replied.

"Let me see your wounds Harry." Hermione said as he pulled off his shirt.

"You've cracked your collarbone." Hermione observed. She tsked and set about fixing his broken collarbone.

"How do you know that?" Harry asked as he tried to see for himself, but failed miserably.

"I'm clever." She grinned. "Where's Ron?"

"He's by the entrance." Harry said quietly, pointing to Ron who was fixing his own wounds.

"Do you need any help?" Hermione asked after a short hesitation.

"I can do it myself, thank you very much." Ron snapped and turned his back on her offensively.

"Touchy." Draco mumbled.

"We need to find the last two parts of Voldemort's soul." Harry ignored Ron, wincing when he felt his collarbone snap back in place.

"I think I figured out what another one is and I know the location too." Draco said, as Hermione handed Harry a pain relieving potion.

"Well?" Hermione probed.

"I figured out that we've had a locket from Slytherin, a diadem from Rowena, so that only leaves Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

"And?"

"And, I'm pretty sure that Helga Hufflepuff's cup is one." Draco smirked triumphantly.

"How did you manage to figure that out?" Hermione's mouth was open in surprise.

"I remember Bellatrix mentioning the cup to me one day." Draco's expression darkened. "She said she had to guard it or something."

"Well, where do you think it might be?"

"My aunt's vault at Gringrotts."

As promised, some Dramione! :) I'm so sorry this chapter took me ages! I'm not entirely happy with it. I wrote and rewrote the beginning so many times. Ugh. Anyway! Thank you for all the reviews so far folks :) x


	11. Chapter XI: Birthday Wishes

**Chapter XI: Birthday Wishes**

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, chewing the inside of her mouth nervously.

"I'm pretty sure." Draco nodded, then narrowed his eyes. "Hermione, Bellatrix is dead. You don't have to worry about going into her vault."

"I know." Hermione looked down at her hands. "I'm still a little scared though."

"I told you. She can't get to you anymore." Draco patted her hand reassuringly and Hermione smiled at him. Harry raised an eyebrow to himself.

"What if she like, haunts her vault or something?" Hermione looked around nervously, before Harry suddenly burst into peels of laughter. Hermione scowled.

"Harry James Potter, it is _not_ funny." She slapped him upside the head.

"Ow!" Harry rubbed his head. "I'm sorry but the idea of Bellatrix prowling around outside her vault is kinda funny."

"How are we going to get into her vault? Surely only Bellatrix can get into her vault? And she's dead."

"And it's not like she would of willingly opened her vault for us and handed over the cup even if she was alive." Draco pointed out.

"We're going to have to break into Gringotts." Harry grimaced at the idea.

"Harry are you mad?" Hermione stared at him. Harry mentally prepared himself for one of Hermione's lengthy lectures. "Do you realise how hard it would be to break into Gringotts?"

"I realise that Hermione I do, but what other choice do we have?" Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "It's not like Draco can just walk in there and request to open his dead aunt's vault, who may I remind you, was the one who killed her."

"You don't need to remind me." Draco narrowed his eyes distastefully.

"Sorry." Harry mumbled.

"I _could_-"

"No you can't Draco. The whole of the Wizarding World is out looking for you. On both sides." Hermione said sternly.

"Fine." Draco huffed and folded his arms. "But I'm telling you – breaking into Gringotts is _not_ an option."

Hermione threw her hands up in exasperation and huffed loudly.

"Well then, what idea do you have?"

"I never said I had an idea." Draco blinked at her and Hermione had the sudden urge to slap him again like she had in third year.

"Hermione – how about Polyjuice potion?" Harry piped up suddenly, a nasty idea forming in his mind.

"It takes months to brew."

"But we already have some, remember?" Harry said, pointing his wand to Hermione's bag and saying; "Accio Polyjuice potion."

Five small vials came zooming out of the bag and into Harry's lap.

"Who are we going to disguise ourselves as?" Hermione asked as she stared at the vials. Harry swallowed the lump in his throat.

"You could be Bellatrix." Harry whispered. Draco suddenly jumped up from the sofa as Hermione's mouth fell open.

"No way. There is no way in _hell_-"

"Draco, hush." Hermione waved him quiet with her hand. "Harry, it's a good idea but we can't. The Wizarding World knows that she's dead."

"This is not going to work." Harry groaned and flung a vial across the tent frustratedly, where it smashed on the floor.

"Well done Harry." Hermione scolded sarcastically as she pointed her wand at the mess on the floor; "Reparo."

"Wait a minute." Draco suddenly said, something shifting in the back of his mind. He started to pace the room excitedly.

"What?"

"What's the date today Hermione?" He asked, looking at her with wonderful shiny eyes.

"It's June the 3rd. Why?"

"Because Bellatrix told me that her vault would be open for me on June 5, my birthday, and that there would be something for me in there. We can get whatever it was she wanted me to have and the cup at the same time!"

"Again, Draco, you can't just walk into Gringotts."

"Try me."

Draco and Hermione stared at each other, each challenging the other. Harry looked from one to the other and smirked.

"Draco this is far too dangerous. Harry, tell him."

"I-" Harry started but was suddenly and surprisingly interrupted by Ron, who had eventually decided to join in the conversation.

"I think he's right. Let him go in there and if they kill him, oh well, at least he tried." Ron stared at Draco with anger in his eyes.

"No that's stupid Ron-"

"Hermione, I didn't ask for your opinion-"

"Stop it. Get over what she said to you, Weasley." Draco spat at him cruelly, and Ron lunged for Draco. Harry pulled Ron off Draco, who had succeeded in punching Draco in the nose.

"You bastard!" Draco yelled as Hermione brandished her wand at his nose and fixed it in a jiffy.

"If you two don't stop behaving like a pair of childish brats-"

"He started it."

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Listen to me. All of you." Hermione said sternly. "We're going to need the aid of a Goblin, as only Goblins can touch the vault doors."

"Griphook. He can pay us back for saving him." Harry said.

"Okay, well we're also going to need disguises."

"I'm telling you, Hermione you should just disguise yourself as Bellatrix and Draco can walk in with her, and if anyone asks, you just say it was a cover story."

"That's hardly going to go down well."

"It's our best shot." Harry pointed out and Hermione sighed.

"No, I'm not letting you do this Hermione."

"Draco, please. I have to do this, we all do. It's the only way."

"Hermione-"

"Please." Hermione begged him and Draco rolled his eyes. "I don't like this anymore than you do but we have to do it this way."

"You had better know what you are doing, Hermione."

"I'll search for Bellatrix's hair on my coat and put it in one of these vials." Hermione picked up a vial and handed it to Draco. "Hold that."

Hermione ran off to retrieve her coat, leaving Draco and Harry staring at each other.

"I'm surprised Hermione's going with this, after she just told us she's scared of Bellatrix."

"Hermione is very determined to bring down Voldemort. She'll do whatever it takes." Harry glanced over at Hermione who was busy picking off various hairs off her coat with her tweezers.

"I don't blame her." Draco muttered. "Potter, you sure this is going to work?"

"I hope so." Harry sighed. "I doubt our cover story will but we're just going to have to work with it."

"Potter, if someone doubts it, use the Imperius curse."

"I will never-"

"You've got to use the Unforgivables if you want this to work." Draco pointed out and tousled his hair with his hand. "You've got to_ mean _them, Potter."

"Don't breathe a word about this to Hermione." Harry warned as Hermione came walking back over.

"Okay I got three different kind of hairs." Hermione said, showing Draco them who wrinkled his nose. "Identify your aunt's."

"It's a bit obvious it's the long curly black one." Draco said as he pointed to it. Hermione put it in the vial that Draco was holding and stoppered it.

"I'll keep this safe." Hermione deposited it all back in the beaded bag. "Are you going to use your invisibility cloak Harry?"

"I had a better idea, actually." Harry shifted nervously on the sofa. "I thought maybe me and Ron could disguise as Death Eaters."

Hermione shook her head violently as Ron made a disgusting sound.

"There is no way I'm going to let you-" Hermione started but Harry cut her off.

"You have no choice. You'll pose more of a threat if you have Death Eaters with you." Harry said. "And we can make it look like we're holding Griphook hostage, that way no one will oppose us."

"Are you serious Harry? This is terribly risky."

"I know." Harry said as he lay down on the sofa, tiredly.

"Maybe we should go to bed." Hermione said as she made her way to her bed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Draco and Harry chorused while Ron remained silent.

xxx

"Happy Birthday!" Hermione and Harry yelled the second that Draco woke up on the morning of June 5th. Draco groaned and rolled over.

"Couldn't you have waited another two hours to tell me that?" Draco yawned. Hermione beamed.

"Nope! It's your birthday silly, you need to get up so we can make you a birthday breakfast of waffles." Hermione practically jumped up and down with excitement. "You do like waffles, don't you?"

"I love waffles. With maple syrup." Draco said as Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him out of bed. Draco rolled out in nothing but his boxers. Hermione suddenly looked flustered as she tried her hardest not to look at his toned bare chest. Harry couldn't hold it in any longer – he burst out laughing much to Hermione's embarrassment.

"I'll go make the waffles." Hermione ran off to the kitchen. Harry grinned at Draco and flung him a jumper.

"I suggest you put that on before Hermione burns a hole in your chest." Draco flushed and pulled the jumper over his head.

"I'm expecting gifts you know ." Draco smirked.

"Well, in our current predicament, all you're going to get today is a cup that is filled to the brim with Voldemort."

"Lovely." Draco joked, still flinching at Voldemort's name.

"Okay so I've made you some waffles with maple syrup and some toast." Hermione looked down at the plate and grimaced. "Sorry, we don't seem to have a wide selection of breakfast foods."

"It's perfect Hermione, thanks." Draco said as he stabbed the waffles with a fork and shovelled half of it in his mouth.

"You want anything Harry?" Hermione asked as she picked up a slice of her own toast. Harry shook his head and poured himself a coffee.

"Where's Weasley?" Draco asked, swallowing his forkful of waffle before putting another in his mouth.

"He's outside. Trying to make a Death Eater mask." Draco snorted.

"I hope he's doing so magically."

"Yeah, he's trying to fashion some hats into one."

"But Ron's hopeless at Transfiguration." Hermione protested, sitting down opposite Harry.

"As a matter of fact, I have managed to transform two hats into perfect Death Eater masks." Ron said as he sat down at the table with a triumphant look on his face. He placed the masks on the table.

"Wow." Hermione said as she examined them.

"Always the tone of surprise." Ron said, smiling slightly at Hermione.

"What's suddenly got you cheerful?" Harry asked.

"The thought of McGonagall giving me an 'Outstanding' for this work." Ron grinned.

"Can you please remove them off the table? They're putting me off my delicious waffles." Draco said, eyeing the mask with contempt. Ron scowled as he removed them. Hermione blushed at the compliment of her cooking.

"So, let's run over the plans for this morning." Hermione said as Harry groaned into his coffee. "We'll arrive at Gringotts at exactly 9.45, as Bellatrix and Draco with their two Death Eaters, which is you and Ron and we'll have Griphook, our hostage." Hermione looked around for approval, Harry being the only one to nod.

"I need to call Kreacher, see if he'll go to the burrow and get Griphook." Harry said.

"Okay, you do that then and I'll figure out how on Earth we're going to actually grant access to the vault, being Bellatrix isn't enough."

"I have her wand." Draco said, much to Hermione's surprise. "I pocketed it when I killed her. It's in my robes." Draco removed himself from the table and fished around in his coat pocket.

"Kreacher!" Harry yelled and heard the distant crack of a house elf. Harry exited the tent and breached the wards.

"Kreacher, I need you to go the Burrow and find Griphook, the Goblin. I need you to bring him here, okay?"

"Kreacher doesn't like Goblins, sir."

"Do it." Harry ordered and Kreacher bowed, disapparating.

"Here's her wand." Draco placed it on the table.

"You have her wand?" Harry asked as he re-entered the tent. Draco nodded.

"I'm going to fashion mine and Harry's robes to Death Eater ones." Ron mumbled as he left the tent with his masks.

"I'm going to wait outside for Kreacher and Griphook." Harry said. "Happy Birthday mate." Harry clapped Draco on the shoulder before he followed Ron, leaving Draco and Hermione at the table.

"Thank you for breakfast." Draco said after an awkward pause. Hermione smiled.

"You're welcome. It's the least I could do. We don't have a cake or anything.." Hermione suddenly brightened. "Maybe I could pick you one up at Diagon Alley."

Draco laughed.

"Yeah, because Bellatrix buying a birthday cake for her nephew isn't going to look odd." Draco smirked at the thought. Hermione giggled.

"Well, I'm off to shower." Hermione stood up from the table and hesitated.

"Happy Birthday Draco." Hermione kissed him gently on the cheek, before moving off into the bathroom.

Draco took a sip of Hermione's tea with a smile.

Happy Birthday Draco! A little dedication seeing as how it's Draco's birthday today! x


	12. Chapter XII: The Thief's Downfall

**Chapter XII: The Thief's Downfall **

The foursome stood outside Gringotts Bank in Wizarding London with a gagged and bound disgruntled goblin as their hostage.

Hermione had drunk the Polyjuice potion prior to disapparating to Diagon Alley and currently looked exactly like the late Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione's beautiful wavy locks were transformed into curly, black tendrils. Her mocha eyes darkened to crazy black orbs, her skin ageing years. She was clad from head to foot in Bellatrix's clothing, transformed from her own.

"Are you ready?" Draco whispered to her, squeezing her hand briefly for a moment. Hermione stared at him through Bellatrix's black orbs.

"Let's just get this over with." Hermione whispered back before sauntering towards the bank in front of them. Draco hurried along side her with Harry and Ron hot on their heels dragging a reluctant Griphook.

Harry had a terrible feeling about this. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach, gnawing away desperately trying to tell him that this whole thing didn't _feel_ right. Their plan, their carefully thought out arrangements didn't sit right with him. It frustrated Harry no end that he couldn't place a finger on what exactly felt wrong.

They neared the entrance of the bank where two wizards with thin golden rods were guarding the large silver doors. Harry recognised them as Probity Probes which detected any spells of concealment, magical objects and enchantments. Which meant, that as they drew nearer, Harry only had a split second to perform an Imperius curse or else they'd detect Hermione's use of Polyjuice Potion and their transfiguration spells on their clothes, not to mention Hermione's bag which was currently over Harry's shoulder underneath his robe.

"_You've got to mean them Potter."_ Draco's words echoed in Harry's head and before he could change his mind, he carefully and cautiously raised his wand slightly at the two wizard guards and whispered with as much determination he could muster for an Unforgivable; "_Imperio_."

The two guards looked dazed as they wondered what to do with the Probity Probes, unable to remember whether they'd already checked the four wizards and the goblin that were ascending the stairs.

"Hey, wait a minute." One of them slurred, their eyes unfocused. Hermione furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"You have already checked us." She snapped coldly before they hurried into the bank undetected.

They stepped into the large marble lobby in front of the long counter, that held many goblins behind them, all sitting on stools fondling golden treasures. They cautiously stepped up to one goblin who was counting Galleons out of five large pouches. Griphook's eyes shone at the sight of the golden coins, as did Draco's.

Hermione rested her dirty hands on the counter and coughed pointedly when the goblin did not look up from his counting.

"Madam Lestrange!" The goblin gasped as he dropped the Galleon he was holding, promptly forgetting how much money he'd already counted and which pouch the Galleon came from. "How may I help you?"

"I want to enter my vault." Hermione tapped her long dirty nails impatiently on the counter top, thus irritating the goblin and Ron, who kept flinching at the sound. Harry had to admit, her impersonation of Bellatrix was alarmingly accurate and impressive.

The goblin glanced down the side of the counter and nearly toppled off his stool at the sight of his old friend Griphook, gagged and bound with a body binding curse and impenetrable ropes that could only be removed by the caster. Griphook looked up with pleading eyes and the goblin cleared his throat before sitting back on his stool properly, terrified.

"T-Then I will need to see i-i-identification." The goblin said shakily, looking from Draco Malfoy to Bellatrix Lestrange, then to the two Death Eaters. The entire scene before him bewildered him greatly, the fact that the most wanted man besides the Dark Lord was standing in Gringotts bank with his aunt that he apparently killed.

"Identification?" Hermione blinked blankly. "I have never been asked for identification before. Do you realise who I am?"

"Madam Lestrange I assure you I understand perfectly well who you are-"

"Then why do I need to show identification?" Hermione demanded impatiently. Then she realised, as she glanced around the bank. Everyone was staring at her bewildered, and she realised that she – _Bellatrix_ – was supposed to be dead, and killed by the very man that was standing next to her with a cool demeanour.

"It's just that Miss Lestrange, pardon me for saying so, but you're supposed to be..uh..well.." The goblin swallowed.

Harry was starting to panic. The other wizards were beginning to edge closer to the exit as the other goblins were attempting to disappear under the counter. Harry knew what he had to do – again. Reluctantly, he raised his wand and whispered "_Imperio_" for the second time in his life, and hopefully the last.

"I assure you that I am very much alive. It doesn't surprise me that filthy creatures like you feed off the rumour mill." Hermione threw the goblin a filthy look for affect. "Would you like me to prove to you exactly who I am?" Hermione threatened, her eyes darkening as she stared at the trembling but dazed goblin.

"I just need your wand." The goblin said, holding out his dirty wrinkled hand. Hermione raised an eyebrow but pulled out Bellatrix's wand regardless. The goblin examined it and nodded before handing it back to her.

"Okay, this way please Madam Lestrange." The goblin then stopped and eyed Draco, Harry and Ron.

"My accomplices come with me to my vault or else I shall kill the goblin." Hermione said coldly and unflinchingly as she pointed her wand, in a fashion much like Bellatrix's, at Griphook, who's eyes widened to the size of the moon with fear.

"Certainly, they can accompany you. Follow me please." The old goblin led the way to the end of the counter and gestured to another goblin to step forwards. "Take Madam Lestrange and her company to her vault please. We're going to need the Clankers."

Harry had no idea what on Earth the "Clankers" were, but watched with interest as the other goblin sauntered off and appeared again moments later with a leather pouch full of noisy metal.

"Are you sure? It's just, we have special requests and instructions regarding Madam Lestrange's vault.." The goblin whispered and Harry had to strain his ears to catch what was said. Harry's eyebrows shot up in interest, then furrowed in confusion and fear – this was the terrible feeling he had in his stomach that was clenching into knots at the goblin's words.

He moved closer to Hermione to tell her that perhaps this wasn't such a good idea and that something ghastly was going to happen if they attempted to even go near Lestrange's vault, but she had already begun to follow the goblin with the Clankers towards a door leading out of the marble lobby.

The elderly goblin that had served them waved an irritated hand at the other goblin before bidding them goodbye and resuming his position behind the counter, staring down at the coins with mild interest and confusion.

They entered through the large door in front of them that had opened and followed a dimly lit passageway.

"I need you to enter the cart." The goblin said uneasily, as he glanced at Griphook and the two Death Eaters. "I'm afraid one of you cannot come."

Harry glanced around and with an inward sigh, pointed his wand at the goblin and said "_Imperio_." Then he pointed his wand at Griphook and undid the ropes that were bound to him, having been the caster. He then undid the body binding curse but promptly knocked him unconscious with a quick efficient "_Stupefy_". Harry then dragged him by his ankles to the door and then clambered onto the cart.

Draco, Ron and Hermione stared at Harry bewildered. Hermione had a dangerous look on her face and Harry uneasily swallowed the lump in his throat. Hermione was scary herself, but as Bellatrix, she was almost scarier than Voldemort. At least Voldemort didn't have the wrath of a woman.

Draco slid in the cart next to Hermione, who sat with her arms folded glaring at Harry angrily. Ron sat next to Harry and removed his Death Eater mask, Harry doing the same. The goblin cheerily slid in the front and activated the cart. Immediately they sped off at high speed and Harry had that familiar feeling of his entire skin being stretched to the point where it might just slide off his bones.

Draco felt rather sick. He'd been to his own vault numerous times on this very cart but the ride there and back felt nothing compared to this one – he felt like he was riding two carts to his deceased aunt's vault, his stomach churning at the thought this may go horribly wrong. One look at Harry and Ron and he knew he wasn't the only one thinking it just might.

That intense feeling Harry had about something not sitting right with him intensified when they spotted a waterfall up ahead.

"The Thief's Downfall!" Hermione shouted, instantly recognising the waterfall she'd previously read about as an enchanted waterfall that immediately detects magical enchantments that only ever gets put up in Gringotts if there is a security breach.

The water crashed onto them before Hermione had a chance to perform any sort of protective spell. The water filled their mouths ears and eyes. Harry and Ron's robes were instantly soaked through, making them heavy on their bodies. Hermione felt a strange feeling wash over her. She raised her wand as they suddenly went vaulting through the air, the cart coming to a lurching stop. They were flung through the air but landed softly on the floor, Hermione having performed a quick thinking Cushioning Charm at the same time Draco had, so they felt like they had landed on a huge soft cushion.

Draco groaned and rolled over on the floor, plucking at his wet clothes. His blonde hair stuck to his face and he pushed it out of his eyes, performing a quick drying spell on himself. He turned to perform the spell on Hermione, but he nearly dropped his wand as he realised he was looking at Hermione and not Bellatrix.

"Hermione!" Draco gasped and Harry snapped his head up at Hermione, and nearly choked on the remaining water in his mouth.

"It must remove magical enchantment." Ron muttered as he struggled to get out of his heavy Death Eater robe. Draco pointed his wand at Ron and the robe vanished.

"Thanks." Ron muttered, embarrassed at having Malfoy help him out. Pink spots tinged his cheeks and ears.

"Those blessed things were always too heavy." Draco shrugged as he helped a dazed Hermione stand up off the floor. She stared down at herself then bit her lip.

"Crap, what are we going to do now?" Hermione asked as Draco performed a drying spell on her and then another vanishing charm on Harry's robe this time.

Ron and Harry stood there in jeans and a t-shirt, both pulling out their wands and casting _lumos_ for extra light. Harry stared with horror as the goblin stared back at them all, his mouth hanging wide open. They had foolishly dismissed the fact that the waterfall washed off _all_ magical concealment and enchantments, including the Imperius curse.

"Confundo!" Harry said as he pointed his wand at the goblin whom was now thoroughly confused. "The Imperius curse was lifted off him when we went through the waterfall."

"Harry James Potter I cannot believe you used an Unforgivable." Hermione folded her arms across her chest, her Bellatrix robes far too big for her frame. "You used it at least three times."

"You used the killing curse on Carrow." Harry contradicted before he could stop himself. Hermione's face hardened.

"That was different."

"Is it or is it not an Unforgivable, Hermione?" Harry asked. "You used it unhesitatingly. At least when I performed the Imperius curse I thought it through."

"I can't believe we're having this conversation here of all places!" Hermione breathed out heatedly. "I did that because he almost killed Draco."

Draco's eyes snapped towards her and his eyebrows raised. "You killed Carrow for me?"

"Can we please not talk about it?" Hermione asked quietly as she walked towards the goblin, turning her back on her friends. Harry and Draco exchanged a quick glance before following her. Ron dragged behind.

Harry performed another Imperius curse and the goblin immediately set off on foot towards Bellatrix's vault.

"Harry, is my bag still enchanted?" Hermione asked, looking back at him. Harry patted the bag at his hip, the strap slung horizontally across his torso. Draco snickered. "I thought it would be, I used a powerful spell that would repel any attempt to magically unbind the concealments and enchantments I placed upon it. Not to mention it is fully waterproof."

Draco smirked at her sudden know it all attitude again, and was glad that he was looking at the back of Hermione's wonderful full wavy locks and not Bellatrix's dirty mangled tendrils.

"Here we are! Your vault, Madam Lestrange." The goblin said to Hermione, obviously blatantly ignorant to the fact that she was not, in fact, Bellatrix.

The foursome stopped and stared at the image in front of them. It wasn't the fact that they were standing outside the notorious Bellatrix's vault, it was more what was standing _beside_ her vault. A large albino dragon with pearly white scales was guarding the vault. It was chained to the wall by it's thick neck and ankles, it's beady blue eyes staring down at them with obvious dislike and protection. It did nothing else but spit at them before breathing it's ghastly smelling breath on them.

Ron backed away. If only Charlie was here to keep it as calm as it already was while they ransacked Bellatrix's vault. Ron had no idea how Charlie did it – he charmed dragons to act like lapdogs.

"It won't eat us, will it?" Ron asked wearily and Draco snorted with laughter.

"Only if we touch her vault."

"Oh, no immediate danger then." Ron snarled back while Draco still continued to chuckle with laughter.

"We need to use the Clankers to ward the dragon off. It will retreat from the noise." The goblin held the leather bag open for them and they each stuffed their hand in and produced a Clanker, a small metal instrument that when Harry shook it made the most brain vibrating noise he'd ever heard.

Harry nearly moved across the floor at the sound of the vibrations the foursome and the goblin were making with these Clankers. The dragon roared and retreated.

"Bloody hell I'm glad I'm not a dragon." Draco muttered as they replaced the Clankers in the leather bag.

"I'm pretty sure your name means dragon in Latin." Hermione piped up. She instantly flushed as Draco turned on her.

"It does." Draco smirked to himself before they stepped up to Bellatrix's vault. "How are we meant to get in?"

"Remember, a goblin can only open a Gringotts vault. If either one of us tried, we'd get sucked in. It's to detect thieves. We'd be stuck in there for ten years." Hermione ranted off her knowledge and Harry rolled his eyes, performing yet another Imperius curse at the goblin.

It was beginning to scare him just how easily he could perform the Imperius curse now. Almost without effort, like the determination to use Unforgivable at his disposal was now engraved permanently in his mind.

The goblin placed his hand on the vault door before it melted away. The foursome stared at the content's of Draco's aunt's vault. Crowns, goblets, jewels and various other shiny and no doubt expensive but some of them stolen treasures littered every inch of the vault.

"Okay we need to search fast." Harry said as he cautiously moved into the vault.

"Potter watch out!" Draco shouted as he remembered something rather important about his aunt's vault. Harry jumped violently at Draco's sudden outburst and slipped on a goblet on the floor. It instantly burnt his foot and multiplied into exact copies. Harry cursed loudly, using words that would have made his Aunt Petunia cringe.

"The vault has Gemino and Flagrante curses." Draco said as he raised his wand and easily removed the curses. Hermione raised her eyebrows, impressed.

"How did you know how to remove it?"

"Bellatrix showed me." Draco shrugged as he cautiously nudged a goblet replica with his wand. Harry sighed in relief when the goblet didn't explode into copies. Hermione quickly placed a cooling charm on the bottom of Harry's burning foot before picking up a goblet.

"What does this goblet look like?"

"Not a clue." Draco replied and Harry pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "You will just know when you see it. Or if you pick it up and hear the Dark Lord whispering sweet nothings in your ear then you've found it."

Hermione made a tsking noise before picking up a beautiful necklace.

"Wow, it's hard to imagine Bellatrix ever wearing something as beautiful as that."

"That was my grandmother's." Draco said softly as he gazed upon the emerald necklace in Hermione's hand. Hermione smiled at him before placing it in Draco's hand. He looked at it before slipping it into his pocket. The necklace was supposed to have been given to his mother, Narcissa, but Bellatrix had stolen it from her when they were teenagers.

"It's beautiful." Harry commented before he returned to a particular large coin. "Why is this coin so big?"

"Rodolphus enchanted it to be worth five hundred galleons." Draco shrugged as he kicked one of the goblet replicas out the way.

"Bloody hell." Ron said as he took it off Harry and looked at it with awe.

"Worth more than you own, Weasley?" Draco smirked and Ron threw a goblet at his head, which he smartly caught with his Seeker reflexes.

"Would you pair stop it?" Hermione snapped as she picked up a little green pouch. She tried to open it but whenever she caught hold of the tassels they squirmed away from her.

"Only I can open that." Draco said as he watched her with amusement, watching the growing irritation on her face. "It's my present."

Hermione handed it over with a huff but stayed to watch him open it with curiosity. Draco undid the tassels and tipped the pouch upside down.

A wrist cuff in the shape of a dark green snake coiling around itself slid out of the pouch and onto Draco's palm. It was encrusted with emeralds, it's eyes the brightest green as they gazed up at an astonished Draco.

Harry snickered. "It seems that your aunt got confused with your gender."

Ron roared with laughter as Draco ignored them, unable to tear his eyes away from the wrist cuff on his palm.

"Draco?" Hermione asked worriedly, suddenly overcome with the terrifying thought that the snake bracelet could hypnotise people.

"It was my mother's." Draco's jaw set into a hard line as he felt an odd sensation prick at his eyeballs.

"It is truly beautiful." Hermione breathed as she squeezed Draco's arm before moving through the treasures on the floor towards Harry, who was hopping up and down trying to reach a particular item on the top shelf.

Draco slid his fingers inside the pouch and pulled out a bit of parchment. He unfolded it and read his mother's beautiful italic script;

_Draco, my love. Use it well._

Draco blinked rapidly before folding it up and pocketing the parchment. He placed the cuff inside the pouch and slipped it into Hermione's bag that was still hilariously slung over Harry's torso.

"What on Earth are you trying to reach?" Draco asked. Harry glared at him.

"Oh you know, that emerald earring set right next to Hufflepuff's cup." Harry snapped sarcastically. Draco stared at the Horcrux on the top shelf and felt his stomach flip over in excitement and apprehension.

"Wouldn't surprise me Potter." Draco grinned as he pointed his wand at the Horcrux and said; "Accio cup."

"You idiot that is obviously not going to work. You can't just Accio Voldemort to you." Ron rolled his eyes as Draco glared at him dangerously.

"Not that I'd particularly want to, thank you very much." Draco muttered before he pocketed his wand again. "Well what the hell are we going to use?" Draco demanded, stomping his foot childishly.

"Draco stop it." Hermione scolded. "Seeing as how we don't have to be so cautious of being burnt or creating treasure clones, perhaps you can sit on Harry's shoulders and get the cup that way?"

"Why me? Weasley is obviously taller."

"And would crush Harry." Hermione said. Ron threw her a look and Hermione shrugged. "Draco, just climb on top of Harry."

"You really need to think your sentences through before you say them, Hermione." Harry said as he allowed Draco to climb on top of his shoulders with much difficulty. Hermione flushed scarlet.

"Don't you dare drop me Golden Boy." Draco warned as Harry gripped his ankles. "You'll ruin my hair if you drop me."

"Proud prick." Ron muttered.

"Just hurry up, I'm going to be crushed under your ego." Harry rolled his eyes. Draco flicked Harry's head and Harry prompted to walk backwards into a shelf so a golden skull fell on top of Draco's shoulders.

"You-"

"Boys." Hermione warned and immediately the two boys stopped. Draco scowled down at Harry before reaching up and taking the cup in his hands.

"Is it just me or did that seem far too easy?" Ron asked from his position on the floor. He'd sat down and was rolling a goblet lazily in his hands.

"Are we sure it's even _that_ cup?" Hermione asked. Draco blanched.

"It's definitely this one." Draco said as he climbed down from Harry's shoulders and quickly shoved the Horcrux in Hermione's bag.

"Let's get out of here." Ron said as they made for the exit. They stepped out of the vault and instantly wished they hadn't.

They were surrounded by Death Eaters.

Finally, the newest chapter! I'm sorry this took me ages – I kept rewriting the beginning of this chapter and it was fully peeing me off. As you can tell I have followed the chapter in the book as guidance, but obviously it has my own elements to it, which I hope you enjoyed. :) Thank you for all the reviews so far, please keep them coming! xo


	13. Chapter XIII: Tainted

**Chapter XIII: Tainted**

Harry stood rooted to the spot as he stared at the dozens of Death Eaters all filled into the passageway outside Bellatrix Lestrange's Gringotts vault. Of course, retrieving the Horcrux had been too easy. They had been stupid enough to believe they could just waltz in there, take it and then leave again. And now they were ambushed, trapped and outnumbered.

"Well well well, look who we have here." One of the Death Eaters mocked as he removed his mask. Draco flinched at the sight of his Uncle, Rodolphus Lestrange.

Hermione stared at him in fear and subconsciously edged closer to Draco, to slip her hand into his. He squeezed her fingers hard and brushed his thumb across her wrist.

"It's my nephew." Rodolphus cracked a grin, his messy dirty face turned to Draco, who visibly blanched under his gaze. "Come to have a poke around in your dead aunt's vault, eh Drakie? The riches of Malfoy Manor just not enough?"

The other Death Eaters laughed, and Hermione could see Draco's jaw hardening into a line. She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"You know, when they told me that my own nephew killed his own aunt, my _wife_, I didn't believe it." Rodolphus started to pace in front of them, rolling his wand around in his hands thoughtfully and carelessly. "Tell me, why didn't I believe it?"

"Because he never had the guts to kill anyone!" One of the Death Eaters from the back shouted, and once again laughter rang around the passageway in shrill syllables. Draco clenched his teeth together.

"I can never understand why the Dark Lord favoured you above all else." Rodolphus stopped pacing and stared at his nephew. "He favoured you over me, over your aunt, over your own father. By the way, how is your father Drakie?"

"My father is stone cold dead, right where he belongs." Draco snarled. Rodolphus suddenly pointed his wand at Draco with a murderous glint in his eye.

"You killed my wife, your father and your mother. You dear mother is _dead_, right next to your father. They're still lying on the floor of the Manor." Rodolphus spat on the ground in front of Draco, and if it wasn't for Hermione's fingers pressing against his own desperately he would have cursed his uncle on the spot.

"Your wife is dead, right where she belongs. And you should be next to her, Uncle." Draco smirked at the sight of his Uncle's angry face. When he didn't reply Draco continued; "You seem rather interested in me today, Uncle. Makes a change."

"Yes well, you're the Dark Lord's number one priority right now." Rodolphus removed his wand from in front of Draco's face. Draco smirked.

"If I'm such major priority, why is the Dark Lord not coming to collect me himself?"

"The matters of the Dark Lord do not concern you right now."

"Oh, but as the Dark Lord's right hand man and main priority, I think I should really know if the Dark Lord is currently grieving the loss of myself." Draco grinned and whipped out his wand. "Pray tell Uncle, is the Dark Lord in pieces right now?"

"Why you little-" Rodolphus was cut off by a sudden flash of purple light streaking in his direction from Ron Weasley's wand.

All hell broke loose as the dozens of Death Eaters all began firing curses in every direction at the foursome. Harry dived back into Bellatrix's vault to avoid a particularly nasty stinging jinx and fell painfully on a pile of goblets. Ron had started firing Stupefy after Stupefy, only managing to hit five out of his ten targets, as they managed to deflect them with simple shields.

Hermione could barely breathe as she fired as many hexes and curses as she could think of, her mind becoming hazy with panic. She wasn't holding onto Draco's hand anymore – he had shoved her violently out of the way of a cutting jinx that unknown to the both of them follows it's target. It had sliced Hermione's thigh five times before she managed to shield it off. Her thigh was flowing with blood and Hermione was struggling to stay conscious from the mass amount of blood loss and was struggling to fire spells and shields too.

Draco had lost sight of Hermione. One minute she was deflecting a yellow jinx, the next she had disappeared in the mass of dark hoods and masks. He could faintly hear Harry bellowing a Sectumsempra that successfully hit it's target as blood sprayed everywhere. Ron was now no where to be seen either.

Bodies began to litter the dirty floor and Hermione found herself crawling over them to avoid dark curses she had no hope of deflecting with a shield charm. Hermione stopped crawling to staunch the blood flow of her leg, only to be suddenly hauled up again violently by her hair.

"Well well, if it isn't Potter's little slut. Or are you Draco's now?" The Death Eater breathed down her ear, the stench of his breath curdling the hairs on the back of her neck. Hermione realised with horror that it was Rodolphus. Hermione lifted her hand up to curse his sorry ass only to stop half way through the action, realising her wand was now on the floor.

Rodolphus pushed her forwards, forcing her to walk through the crowd of Death Eaters, still holding onto her hair. He cast a shielding charm around them as they moved to the front of the Death Eaters, revealing themselves to Draco and Harry, whom upon seeing Hermione instantly froze.

"I strongly suggest you stop your attack." Rodolphus snarled, his wand pointed at Hermione's neck.

"Let go of her." Harry ordered loudly, his wand twitching desperately in his hand.

"Or what, Potter?" Rodolphus spat. "What are you going to do? Your slut is my hostage so I suggest you shut your mouth Potter."

Rodolphus flung Hermione to the floor, where she landed harshly on her ribs. She gasped loudly as the wind was knocked out of her. She struggled to breathe as she rolled over. Immediately Draco stumbled towards her but was halted harshly by an invisible barrier between the Death Eaters and the three boys.

Draco shouted loudly and hammered his fists on the invisible barrier, as did Harry, almost as if they believed banging on the powerful shield would break it.

"Let's see how much she means to you, Draco." Rodolphus grinned as he aimed his wand at Hermione. Silently, he cast the Cruciatus curse.

Hermione's scream sliced through Draco sharper than Harry's Sectumsempra curse in sixth year. She was thrashing about on the floor, screaming to the point where her lungs nearly collapsed on her. Hermione's body twisted into impossible angles, as it felt like it was being stabbed, ripped, broken with anything that could ever inflict such pain. Then the pain stopped as quickly as it had started.

"I'm only going to say this only once so listen up." Rodolphus kept his wand trained on a convulsing Hermione. "You come with us quietly Draco and Potter, or else I'll kill her."

Draco blanched. He stared at Hermione lying on the floor whom had her eyes squeezed shut, then back at his Uncle. Draco's perfect face creased into worry lines.

"There is no negotiating Hermione's life!" Harry roared angrily, his wand shaking in his hand.

"I have something else you might like instead of us." Draco said as he pointed his wand at Hermione's beaded bag and whispered; "Accio cup."

Hufflepuff's cup came zooming out of Hermione's enchanted bag and landed in Draco's outstretched hand. Instantly Draco felt a heavy weight placed on his brain and winced at the Dark Lord's sudden voice in his head.

_Draco, Draco. My right hand man._

Draco tried in vain to put up Occulmency shields, but the Dark Lord was far stronger than he was. Draco swallowed the lump in his throat and shakily held the cup in front of him, as if he wanted it to be as far away from himself as possible.

"Do you recognise this, Uncle?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrows slightly at the sight of his Uncle's eyes widening in shock at the cup in Draco's hand. "I'm pretty sure you and your wife were meant to protect this?"

"D-d-draco..." Rodolphus stuttered, panicking, the alarm crystal clear in his eyes.

_For one of my Knights he is rather pathetic. _

"Let Hermione go or else I'll destroy it."

Tom Riddle screamed angrily and Draco dropped to his knees at the sound, clutching his head, the cup still in his hand.

_You destroy my Horcrux and I will destroy you, Draco Malfoy._

Draco shakily pointed his wand at the Horcrux, as he stared at his Uncle.

"Take the ward down, give me Hermione and I'll give the cup to you and Harry and I will come with you quietly.."

Harry raised his eyebrows at the proposition of giving the Horcrux to them and opened his mouth to negotiate. However, he halted his movements when he spotted Hermione shaking her head at him slightly. Harry furrowed his eyebrows as he glanced at Hermione, then at Rodolphus, then finally at Draco and the Horcrux. He didn't understand how this was all going to work out, but he kept silent for the time being.

"Y-you will give the cup to me?" Rodolphus whispered and Draco nodded.

Draco glanced at the cup in his hands and his eyes widened with astonishment. The cup had filled itself to the brim with a golden liquid that seemed to shine even in the dim light of the passageway. It glittered invitingly and Draco couldn't move his eyes away from the liquid, the sudden desire to feel it on his taste buds was overwhelming.

_Taste it Draco. It will help you save Hermione. I promise._

Draco suddenly felt parched to the point of almost dehydration, and he hungrily raised the cup to his pale lips.

"Draco no!" Hermione managed to scream desperately as she watched Draco drain the goblet in one. Draco looked puzzled for a moment as he stared at Hermione then suddenly he was on the floor, convulsing and retching up blood.

"Malfoy!" Harry yelled as he fell to his knees besides Draco who was splattering blood all over the concrete floor. "Lestrange what the hell happened?"

"Voldemort sensed that his Horcrux was in danger. This was the cup's defence mechanism." Hermione managed to explain weakly, and her know it all attitude earned her a sharp kick in the ribs. She gasped and rolled over, clutching her side.

"You dare to speak so freely of your Lord like that?" Rodolphus hissed disgustingly. "You're nothing but a petty little Mudblood whore."

"Lestrange!" Harry snarled as he awkwardly patted Draco on the back as he turned over on all fours and continued throwing up his blood.

"Potter?" Rodolphus raised a sarcastic eyebrow.

"Give us Hermione, and tell us how to stop this!" Harry gestured to Draco. "Or else I really will destroy the cup."

Rodolphus desperately glanced between Hermione, Harry, Draco and the Horcrux that was lying innocently on the floor beside Draco.

"No." Rodolhpus snarled as he straddled Hermione's waist. He roughly grabbed her right arm and pointed his wand at it. He whispered an incantation that Hermione had never heard of then all of a sudden she felt a sharp pain in her arm, that moved similarly in the same way Bellatrix's knife did.

Hermione screamed.

Draco moaned as he watched helplessly his Uncle torture Hermione in a fashion just like his late Aunt's. Draco's fingers inched towards the cup on the floor. His long pale fingers wrapped around the handle of the cup and he pulled it towards him.

_Your pure blood is tainted, Draco. It has been tainted by the light. It disgusts me._

Draco, upon instinct at the Dark Lord's words, raised Hufflepuff's cup towards his mouth and spat his blood into it. Instantly Draco's blood in the cup began to boil, as the part of Voldemort's soul trapped inside it began to scream.

_You dare to betray me! _Voldemort screamed as the Horcrux suddenly exploded. A blinding emerald light illuminated the passageway, causing everyone to shield their eyes. When the explosion was over, everyone in the entire passageway froze.. They all stared at one another before a Death Eater suddenly flung a curse in their direction. Out of reflex, Harry cast a Shield Charm. Harry thanked his Seeker reflexes that he had, for the explosion had eliminated the invisible barrier between the Death Eaters and himself.

"Hermione!" Draco yelled as he dived underneath a scarlet red jinx that for a split second made him shudder as they reminded him of Voldemort's eyes.

Hermione rolled over and opened her eyes at the sound of Draco's voice so close to her. Everything was hazy as her head spun at the sudden alertness. She held her hands up blindly and felt relieved when she felt Draco pick her up in his arms. She mumbled something incoherently before everything around her went black.

Draco gritted his teeth as he noticed Hermione pass out on him. He desperately tried to get her to safety by Harry, who had a large secure powerful shield up all the while trying to deflect oncoming curses.

"Malfoy!" Harry yelled as he silently cast a curse over Draco's shoulder, successfully hitting a Death Eater in the face with a Severing Charm.

"Thanks Potter." Draco grinned as he suddenly spun around and fired a Killing Curse. He watched with satisfaction as it hit his target. He heard the screams of his Uncle before they froze in the air and disappeared into the passageway. He watched as Rodolphus fell to the floor, his eyes wide open and glassy, resembling his late wife. Draco felt his lips curl into a smirk and he couldn't hide the satisfaction from his face.

The atmosphere in the air changed. The Death Eaters were looking frantically from the dead Rodolphus to his nephew and the unconscious girl then to the boy-who-lived. They were at a loss for what to do, if one was honest.

"What are you going to do now?" Ron sneered suddenly from behind Draco and Harry, and everyone had to turn around and stare at him for he had been absent from most of the battle.

"Is that the dragon?" One of the Death Eaters asked, momentarily forgetting he was a Death Eater and was supposed to curse the teenage wizards on the spot, but the sight of that gigantic albino dragon had almost knocked his knees out from under him.

"Is it the dragon, and on my command, he will burn you all to a crisp if you don't disapparate right now." Ron gave the dragon a fondly pat on his flaky white scales and the dragon cooed.

Harry and Draco couldn't help but stare at Ron like he'd just_ transfigured_ into a dragon.

Ron gave the dragon a slap on the side of it's neck and it suddenly roared. The noise was horrendous; Harry fell to the floor holding his head and Draco just had to face it – both his hands were still holding Hermione closely against himself. The dragon let out a breath of fire just as the remaining Death Eaters attempted to apparate. The Death Eaters were instantly splinched, as you cannot disapparate outside Gringott's walls, something which, Ron was proud to admit, he knew. They, along with Rodolphus' body and the already dead Death Eaters were incinerated to a crisp.

"Good boy." Ron murmured to the dragon as he fondly caressed the scales underneath his giant chin, which was now lowered onto the floor to expose his back and neck to them. Ron turned to his friends – minus Draco, whom he still refused to acknowledge as any where near a friend, and said calmly; "Well are you going to get on his back?"

Harry blanched. "I'm not getting on that dragon!"

"Hermione would have a fit." Draco pointed out as he eyed the dragon.

"Harry, you're not scared of the little dragon are you?" Ron grinned.

"Says you who was convinced he'd eat us." Harry snapped.

"He won't. He likes me." Ron grinned at the dragon, who was getting impatient as he started huffing stinky breath through his overly large nostrils. "Don't you Bino?"

"Bino?" Harry blinked blankly as Draco suddenly roared with laughter.

"Yeah, because he's an Al_bino_ dragon." Ron rolled his eyes and clambered on the back of the dragon. Harry reluctantly clambered on behind Ron. "Charlie taught me a bit about charming dragons, but I wasn't sure it would even work."

"Are you sure this is safe?" Harry asked as he eyed the dragon nervously.

"Scared, Potter?" Draco grinned as he hoisted an unconscious Hermione over his shoulder and levitated himself up onto the dragon. Then he swung Hermione's limp legs over the dragon and wrapped his arms around her waist as her head lolled on his chest.

Harry turned around and quirked an eyebrow at Draco whom pointedly looked away. Ron was whispering something to the dragon and suddenly, with a roar, the dragon stretched out it's large wings and kicked off the ground at an almighty speed. It soared up and up until it crashed through the roof of Gringott's, leaving debris to rain down on the wizards on it's back.

Hermione's stomach gave a strange lurch through her unconsciousness and her eyes snapped open. All she could see was the sky, and her vision half clouded by a sweep of ash blonde hair. She blinked rapidly and struggled to sit up.

"I wouldn't move much if I were you." Draco whispered in her ear, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Hermione's heart gave a sudden pang at the realisation that Draco was in such close proximity to her, and the sound of his ragged voice down her ear. Hermione then panicked as she tried in vain to look around, her head caught under his chin. "We're on a dragon."

"WE ARE WHAT?" Hermione screamed as the dragon suddenly dove downwards. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, mumbling something about how it was just like that damn hippogriff in third year. Draco smirked.

"Don't panic Hermione! We're headed for land!" Harry roared over the sound of rushing wind, as he held on tightly to the dragon's flaky white scales. Hermione could only nod, her throat closing up from the fear.

"What on Earth is that Potter?" Draco yelled suddenly, using one hand to point at something in front of them. Harry's stomach leapt at the sight of a hooded figure whooshing towards them. His scar, however, made no prickling sensation. He felt dread creep up over him when he felt that familiar coldness rush over him and he knew that the Dementors had found them again.

Before Harry could lift his wand to perform his Patronus, the Dementor had swept down and sucked the life out of the old Albino dragon, causing it to freeze mid flight and go tumbling towards the lake that was beneath them.

All four of them screamed as they crashed into the inky black depths of the Great Lake, engulfed by the icy cold water that was pushing them deeper towards the bottom, and they sunk, instantly unconscious from impact, like heavy stones dropped from a great height.

I greatly apologise this is so late! I was supposed to finish this chapter and put it up on my birthday, which was Wednesday, but that failed. I then wanted to upload it on the Friday that DH2 came out, but again, failed. Can't wait to watch DH2, going to watch it Monday :D

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, I'm not sure what to think of it. Ugh. I know that Draco is a pureblood, and therefore his blood logically shouldn't affect the Horcrux, but because Draco has effectively joined the 'light' his blood is tainted in the eyes of Voldemort. Make sense?

Thank you for the reviews lovelies :)


	14. Chapter XIV: A Life For Another

Chapter XIV: A Life For Another

Water filled Hermione's mouth the second she broke the surface of the inky Great Lake and plummeted straight to the bottom. She knew nothing of her situation as spindly fingers snaked their way around her ankles and dragged her gracefully through the water.

Draco was thankful for the quick silent Bubble-Head charm he'd cast on himself, encasing his mouth in a bubble like substance that allowed him to breathe underwater before he'd hit the water. However his triumph was soon over ruled when he realised that he'd fallen into the Great Lake with Hermione, whom was not hanging onto his waist anymore.

Draco fished around around in his pocket for his wand and pulled it out, quickly casting a silent Lumos to illuminate the inky waters of the lake. He could make out Harry using his own wand on Hermione's bag that was still around his body, and Draco only had to guess that Harry had silently cast a Bubble-Head charm too. Ron was no where to be seen.

Draco cast a locating charm and followed the arrow that protruded out of the end of his wand like a red hologram. The arrow led him down deeper through the water, and Draco was beginning to panic. If his wand was telling him to go deeper, surely Hermione was already dead. He spotted her still form just below his feet, strung painfully across some rocks.

The further he got to her, the quicker he realised she was surrounded by mermaids. They were enthralled by Hermione, who lay on the rocks not breathing, her face and lips paling out of colour. Draco's heart raced as he pointed his wand at the offending creatures, but before he could perform any magic the mermaids had abandoned Hermione and surrounded himself.

They latched onto his body with their spindly arms, their long fingers grasping him tightly and possessively. Draco struggled against them, the creatures hissing to each other as their interest in the young wizard increased, their Medusa like hair reaching out for him through the water.

"You dare to try and claim what is not yours?" The mermaid hissed defensively.

"Hermione is not yours either. Give her to me." Draco demanded, his wand thrust into the mermaid's face.

"Miss Granger's lungs stopped breathing moment's ago. She belongs to Death now."

"NO!" Draco bellowed through his bubble, struggling against their vice grip.

"Why do you wish to save her so?" The mermaid asked, as she swam around him, the creatures alike keeping their distance now, draping their tails possessively over Hermione's lifeless form.

"She's my friend!" Draco replied. The mermaid hissed at him.

"Tell us the real reason you wish to save her, young man, and perhaps we can negotiate."

"Bring her back." Draco snapped.

"You know we don't have that power."

"I know you do." Draco argued. "Now, you bring her back or so help me I will kill you all."

The mermaid watched Draco for a moment, her dark muddy green eyes contemplative. Draco stared back defiantly, earning a loud aggravated sigh from the mermaid.

"Why would we want to bring her back? She's nothing but a Mudblood witch."

"Don't call her that!"

"Tell us, young wizard, why you want to save her so."

"She's my friend." Draco yelled defiantly.

"You have feelings and demons to face, young man." The mermaid swam away from his form, but continued to watch him. "We will bring Miss Granger back for a price."

"Name it. Anything you want you will have." The mermaids turned their grotesque faces towards each other, slight surprise written on their faces. "Do you want pearls? I can buy you pearls if that's what you want." Draco was becoming desperate, and wished he could throw all the riches of Malfoy Manor right at them, if it meant he could have Hermione back.

"A life for another."

"You want me to kill someone to save Hermione?" Draco blinked rapidly at her under the water in confusion, his heart pounding. The mermaid rolled her eyes at the young blonde man in front of her.

"No, the life of someone so insignificant to _you_ will perish, and Miss Granger shall live in return."

"Deal." Draco said immediately, the thought of losing her the only one that swam through his mind. He couldn't lose her.

xxx

Hermione and Draco's head emerged from the Great Lake simultaneously, gasping for air as Draco removed the bubble-Head charm. Hermione instantly began to panic, and Draco pulled her close to him, his hands in her hair as he pressed his wet cheek to the top of her head.

"Draco what happened?" She croaked, her throat sore from disuse and having swallowed water.

"Thank God you're alive." Draco whispered, his voice lost over the loud lapping of the water on their bodies.

"Where's Harry and Ron?" Hermione peered around, unable to make out any other figures treading water in the middle of the Great Lake.

"I don't know." Draco replied truthfully, silently praying Potter was fine fathoms deep underneath them. "Do you think you can swim to the shore?"

Hermione nodded determinedly, and together they swam towards land, fighting the fatigue they felt in their muscles and the tiredness behind their eyelids.

Hermione's head was pounding. She was exhausted, wet and cold, and not a very strong swimmer. It was one of the things Hermione hated to admit she wasn't very good at. Hermione stopped swimming for a moment, wanting to call out to Draco to take a breather with her but she couldn't even open her mouth. She felt dizzy, and she had the strange feeling of being Obliviated, suddenly realising she didn't remember anything after they were falling off the back of an ancient albino dragon. Hermione's eyes lolled and she slipped silently through the water.

Draco became suddenly aware of a silence behind him, and with a dreaded feeling he spun around in the water and watched as Hermione's head dipped below the surface. He swam over to where she had just disappeared and grabbed her hand, pulling her body up towards him.

"You are not leaving me again." Draco whispered as he hoisted her limp unconscious form onto his back and swam to the shore.

He lay Hermione down, pointed his wand at her chest and whispered; "Enervate." Instantly Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him through her thick wet lashes and she smiled. Draco smiled back and pulled her up into an embrace, an embrace that seemed to warm him and fill him whole-heartedly.

"Thank you." Hermione whispered as she clung to him, their wet bodies pressed together in desperation and longing. They sat like that for a few minutes, seemingly lost in the moment, until a voice broke through the silence, using only one word, a word that Hermione would never be able to forget.

"Ron.." A soaking wet and incredibly fatigued Harry Potter managed to croak out as he stumbled across the bank towards Hermione and Draco, carrying a limp Ronald Weasley in his arms.

He lay his best friend out on the bank, a resounding silence engulfed them as time seemed to pause for a torturous moment. Hermione looked from Ron lying on the floor to Harry, who stood above him, seemingly frozen to the spot, his emerald eyes glazed over in despair as he looked desperately at his female counterpart. Then she screamed.

"Ron. _Ron_. Come back Ron." Hermione sobbed, as she knelt over his lifeless body, seizing him by the shoulders and shaking him hard. "You're not supposed to die! Come back! I need to tell you I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about everything. We need you. I need you. You're our best friend. Ron please, just come back."

"Hermione.." Draco whispered uneasily, trying to take a hold of her comfortingly but she threw him off insignificantly and continued sobbing in defiance over Ron's dead body. Draco stood there, tasting for the first time the feeling of rejection as it stung him sharply.

"Harry! He can't be dead." Hermione sobbed, her delicate face cracking repeatedly into creases, her cheeks stained by her tears mingled with the lake water, as she stared at her green eyed best friend.

"Hermione, he's gone." Harry replied numbly, who'd sat on the floor and stared straight ahead of him. He hadn't cried, screamed or even touched Ron since he'd lain him on the floor. But Hermione knew the breakdown was soon to come.

"He can't be! He can't leave me again!" Hermione sobbed, as she clung to the front of Ron's soaking wet robes. She couldn't look at his once bright face, now pale, his lips blue and his eyes closed. "I am so sorry. I really am. I said I wasn't, but I am. Please, please forgive me."

"Draco..." Hermione turned around to seek solace in Draco, but found him no where.

"He stormed off to the edge of the forest earlier when you were crying." Harry replied robotic, before he suddenly bent over his drawn up knees and allowed himself to cry without even removing his glasses. Hermione crawled over to him and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. Harry clung desperately to her arms as together they mourned the loss of their best friend, their brother, their other third.

They had felt themselves torn into two, feeling nothing but loss and grief and a strange alienation. Ron Weasley, who had faced giant spiders, Dementors and even Lord Voldemort himself, was cheated into Death by the one place it had all began.

Harry had apparated to the Burrow with Ron's body, feeling he had to be the one to deliver the terrible news. Hermione had stayed behind with Draco, as she was in no fit state to apparate. They hadn't spoken two words to each other, Hermione muted into grief and Draco into resentment and grief over Hermione's grief. Draco desperately wanted to reach out to her, to touch her but she wouldn't allow anyone near her.

They were sitting in the tent, Hermione on the couch curled up in a ball and Draco on a chair he materialised out of thin air. He was watching her, the way she stared blankly ahead without blinking, her beautiful rich orbs glossy with unshed tears. The tension and silence was killing Draco, who could stand it no longer.

"You were in love with him wasn't you?" Draco whispered, ignoring the stab of rejection that was in it's prime of novelty. Hermione's head snapped up and they stared at each other for a long moment.

"No." Hermione replied quietly, her voice hoarse and cracking from the strain of not being used in hours. "I wasn't in love with him."

"Oh." Draco replied awkwardly, not understanding but refusing to push her any further. Hermione watched as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"You don't understand, do you?" Hermione whispered, tears falling fast down her cheeks. Draco shook his head. "Harry and Ron are my boys. My best friends. My rocks, my brothers, my other thirds. Ron's dead, and he was so dear to me, I loved him like a brother, I need to grieve. I said some terrible things. I hated him for what he did to me, but he was still my best friend. Can you understand that?"

"Of course I can Hermione." Draco replied, moving to sit next to her fragile and almost breakable looking body. "Just don't push me away."

"Then come closer." Hermione whispered and broke into a fresh peal of tears as Draco wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her onto his lap.

Then she was kissing him, having roughly grabbed his face and pressed her lips to his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her closer, as she sought solace in the way her mind would shut down completely when she allowed herself to get this close to him. Hermione was straddling him now, forcing him back against the sofa, desperately kissing him, her entire body on edge as his hands found their way up her legs.

Draco desperately kissed down her neck, leaving burning hot trails along her skin. She moaned into his hair, running her delicate hands through it, musing it out of it's Malfoy perfect style. They froze suddenly when they heard the familiar sound of apparation outside the tent. Hermione scrambled off Draco just as Harry wandered in through the door, tired and his face full of anguish. Draco managed to catch him just in time as he almost collapsed in exhaustion. He deposited Harry on the sofa and Hermione flung herself at him.

"Harry." Hermione whispered, smoothing back his damp jet black hair. "How are they?"

"Ginny wouldn't stop screaming." Harry replied solemnly. "It nearly killed me, Mione."

"I know, I know." Hermione murmured as she continued to stroke back his hair.

"Mrs. Weasley was in pieces. She kept talking about getting revenge on Voldemort but this is all my fault, Hermione." Hermione's heart tore in two as her remaining third, now her half, looked up at her with grief stricken eyes. Hermione started sobbing, shaking her head at her best friend in defiance. "It's all my fault. Don't you see? Ron's dead because of me."

"No, no. Harry it's not your fault." Hermione whispered as she rested his head in her lap and continued to stroke his hair. "You listen to me, Harry Potter. Ron didn't die because of you, people have never died because of you."

"Sirius died because of me. My parents died because of me and now Ron, my best friend is dead because of me." Harry roared angrily, tears leaking out of his eyes from underneath his glasses as he clung onto Hermione's arms like his own life depended on it.

"Never say that.." Hermione murmured, tears rolling down her cheeks, seemingly unfazed by one of Harry Potter's all too familiar outbursts.

Draco watched the two wizards on the sofa, who were like brother and sister and he realised. _A life for another. _He had unwittingly exchanged Ron's life for Hermione's. It was all his fault; he had killed again.

Xxx

HEY GUYS! Hell yeah I'm back – with a pretty crap chapter, I must apologise. I hope you understand the reason why this is so late – I have recently been into hospital for two major operations on my hip and have spent the six weeks holiday recovering and had no inspiration whatsoever. **But thank you for all the reviews so far!**

Yes, I killed off Ron and to all those Ron lovers I am so sorry but he's the one character who really gets on my nerves, although he was pretty fun to write. I felt it necessary to kill him off though, don't ask why. I think we needed a bit more angst and it kind of helps play into the development of Hermione and Draco's relationship. And I hope you're all happy with the Dramione in this chapter and again I apologise because there's not much Dramione but I think their relationship needs development.

Oh, and I have no clue if the Merpeople can bring people back but my ones can before anyone tells me Hermione-style that Merpeople cannot, infact, exchange people's lives.

**AND OMG, WHAT DID Y'ALL THINK OF HPDH2? WASN'T IT JUST SO AMAZING. LIKE OMG. Words cannot explain. I needed to just yell on here that I LOVED IT. :-) [even though I'm extremely late in celebrating haha]**

Send me some love dears :-)


	15. Chapter XV: Confessions

Chapter XV: Confessions

"Harry, you need to eat." Hermione probed as they sat together on the floor of the tent a fortnight later, surrounded by what little food they could find. Harry shook his head when Hermione held out her hand and offered him some bread.

"Hermione what is that on your arm?" Draco gasped suddenly, his eyes transfixed on Hermione's right forearm. Everyone turned their gazes down to her arm. Hermione lifted it up to the light and let out a gasp of her own.

"I had completely forgotten about that, with..well, you know." Hermione's voice got quieter as everyone contemplated Ronald Weasley's death. Draco reached over and tenderly picked up her arm and ran his fingers over the word, letting out an animalistic sound of disgust and anger. Hermione's eyes began to swim with tears as she finally managed to make out the word "whore" messily carved into her arm. She moved her arms out of Draco's grasp and put her forearms next to each other.

"Mudblood whore." Hermione whispered before promptly bursting into tears. Draco looked startled before he enveloped her in a hug, soothing her back.

"You are not a Mudblood whore. Tell her Harry."

"He's right, you're not a Mudblood whore Hermione." Harry smiled at her comfortingly, patting her leg as it was the only part of her that wasn't being smothered in Draco, before turning his eyes to the man in question. "Is there nothing you can do to get rid of it?"

"Not if it's the same dark magic used by Bellatrix." Draco's eyes flitted over to Hermione's left arm as he pulled away from her. "We could always cast a concealment charm over it." Hermione nodded and Draco pulled out his wand and muttered a few concealment charms over her arm. The offending word slowly began to fade under the charms.

"Thank you." Hermione whispered, managing to give him a smile. Harry coughed awkwardly.

"Draco, I have a question for you."

"Go on then." Draco eyed him questioningly, his heart pounding in his chest.

"What exactly was it you and your Uncle were talking about in Gringotts?" Harry asked, giving Draco a stern look. Draco's heart dropped. "When you were saying how you're number one priority right now?"

Hermione turned to look at Draco, who fiddled with his fingers without looking back at her.

"Draco?" Hermione asked, fearing the answer.

"I suppose you deserve to know." Draco said eventually. Harry's fist pounded on the floor.

"You're damn right we deserve to know!" Harry roared, making Hermione jump. "I made an Unbreakable Vow with you!"

"I know and I should have told you everything in the beginning."

"Well go on then, we're listening."

Harry and Hermione stared at him anxiously waiting. Draco cleared his throat, opened his mouth but no words came out. He tried again.

"Draco it's alright. We just need to hear the truth." Hermione patted his knee and smiled at him encouragingly. Draco, not caring that Harry was inches away from him, laced his fingers with Hermione's.

"I knew if I told you everything in the beginning, you wouldn't help me." Draco refused to look at either of them. "I knew that if I told you what my position with the Dark Lord was you would never agree to make the Unbreakable Vow and trust me."

Hermione's hands started to tremble and she swallowed the painful lump in her throat.

"Ever since the Dark Lord recruited me, I've been in training."

"As a Death Eater." Harry piped up. Draco looked up and scowled.

"Or so we all thought." Draco rolled his tongue around in his mouth contemplatively. "At first, the prospect of becoming a Death Eater was kind of exciting, until I realised what it all entailed, and I didn't realise that being a Death Eater at such a young age was the least of my worries."

Draco squeezed his eyes shut, his heart hammering against his chest. Hermione gave his fingers a squeeze.

"It's okay Draco, you can tell us everything." Hermione's voice seemed to snap Draco back to reality and he opened his eyes.

"The Dark Lord knows his downfall is right around the corner." Harry's eyes widened. "He knows that you have been killing off his-"

"Don't say it, it's one of the possible taboo words." Hermione interrupted and Draco nodded.

"And he also knows that he will die."

"And what has this got to do with you?"

"He-" Draco stopped and fought of the nausea that swept over him. Draco swallowed. His face began to crack and his fingers trembled between Hermione's. Hermione reached over and cupped his face in her hands.

"Draco look at me." Hermione whispered, as grey met brown. "What has his downfall got to do with you?"

"He was training me, Hermione. Understand I didn't want any of this. I don't want to have to do it." Draco began to sob, ignorant to Harry's presence, who was stunned into silence. Harry kept his eyes on Hermione, feeling like he was sitting in on a private moment for Draco.

"You don't have to do anything. What was he really training you for?"

"He was training me to become _him_." Draco let out a strangled sound of anguish and hung his head, obscuring his view of Harry and Hermione with his blonde bangs.

"You're not going to become the next Lord Voldemort, do you hear me?" Hermione squeezed his hand, their fingers still intertwined, her own voice shaking.

"Draco?" Harry asked hesitantly. "Will you tell us the rest?" The blonde man nodded slowly.

"He gave me a mission, one I've had since sixth year." Draco looked up at Hermione. "I'm supposed to kill you."

Hermione's eyes widened as she stared at Draco.

"I couldn't do it, Hermione." Draco drew his knees up to his chest and let out a long sigh. "I couldn't do it, and I knew you were the only ones who could help me escape my fate. At the manor, when my aunt was finished torturing you-" Draco's face twisted into pain and anger at the memory. "- I was supposed to kill you."

"But you didn't." Hermione whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I couldn't. I just couldn't kill you." Draco's voice was becoming smaller and smaller, and Harry and Hermione had to strain their eyes to listen. "I kept thinking not you. Anyone but you."

"Why couldn't you do it?" Hermione whispered. "Why couldn't you just do it?"

"Isn't it obvious, Hermione?" Draco asked in return, raising his glassy grey orbs to look at her. Hermione suddenly flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she sobbed into his collarbone.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Hermione whispered before she pressed her lips to his in a hurried kiss that left him no room to respond as she drew away and clung to him tightly once more.

"There's something else I need to tell you." Draco said in a hollow voice, his body going rigid in Hermione's arms at the prospect of what he was about to admit to them.

"What?" Harry said, growing impatient at Draco's slow explanation of everything, and at the fact that Hermione found it necessary to keep launching herself at the blonde man in question.

"I killed Ron." Draco said in a small voice, so small that only Hermione heard. She froze, her body beginning to tremble as she moved away to see his face. Draco couldn't look at her, for he knew her face was a mask of horror.

"What do you mean, _you killed Ron_?" Hermione said, her voice trembling. Harry's eyes bulged and he shot up out of his seat, whipping out his wand and aiming it straight at Draco. Draco didn't even flinch.

"I didn't mean to. Let me explain." Draco requested and Hermione sat back on the pillows, drawing her legs up to her aching chest, drawing away from him.

"Explain, but I'm not lowering my wand." Harry spat as he towered over the two people on the floor, his wand trained at Draco's chest.

"You died, Hermione." Draco whispered, looking up at Hermione who instantly paled, her entire face draining of colour. "Mermaids told me you had died. I saw you, lying on the rock, dead." Draco's face cracked before he contained his composure.

"They told me they'd bring you back for a price. I offered them pearls but they didn't want it. They wanted a life for another."

"So you chose Ron's!" Harry snarled. "Why couldn't you have chosen someone like Voldemort!" Draco blanched.

"I didn't _choose_ anyone's life. It just happened. A life so insignificant to me would perish in exchange for Hermione's." Draco breathed in slow calculated breaths to remain calm.

"I don't fucking believe you!" Harry roared, and sent a curse Draco's way, but Hermione easily deflected it with a canary yellow shield, having noticed Harry's wand twitching with anticipation.

"Stop it." Hermione hissed at Harry. "Put your wand away before I do something drastic with mine."

Both boys blinked at Hermione's unexpected threat. Harry raised an eyebrow but pocketed his wand anyway.

"I clearly had no soft spot for Weasley, but I didn't want him to _die_." Draco continued explaining like he hadn't nearly just been cursed into oblivion. "I didn't think about the consequences when I accepted the deal. Who would? I wasn't about to lose Hermione, not when I've tried so hard to keep her alive."

Hermione had tears running down her cheeks as she hesitantly enveloped Draco in an embrace.

"Can you forgive me?" Draco whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her tender skin.

"Of course."

"Harry?" Hermione whispered as she craned her neck to look around at Harry. Harry slumped down onto the cushions and removed his glasses, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "Do you forgive Draco too?"

Harry looked up and emerald met silver, a silent understanding passing through them. "Yes I do."

"Thank you." Hermione whispered as she crawled over to Harry and embraced him too. He wrapped his arms around his best friend's waist and clung to her.

"I'm going to go the Burrow, is that okay?" Harry asked Hermione. She pulled away from the hug and eyed him sternly.

"Harry Potter, are you stupid?"

"I can answer that one." Draco piped up, smirking only half heartedly. Harry glared at him.

"No you won't." Harry shook his head at Draco as Hermione placed her hands on her hips.

"Voldemort is out looking for you! We're on a mission, you can't just swan off to the Burrow." Hermione calmed her erratic breathing as panic rose in her throat.

"I'll be fine, I managed to get there once.." Harry trailed off and swallowed awkwardly. "Please, I just want to see Ginny."

"You had better come back." Hermione said before she squeezed him so hard Harry felt like she might have cracked a rib.

"Of course I will, someone needs to defeat the big bad Lord." Harry grinned as he stood up. "After all I am the Chosen One."

Hermione smacked up upside the head before Harry disappeared out of the tent. The familiar sound of disapparation and he was gone.

Xxx

Ginny Weasley suddenly sprung from the kitchen table, her fork clattering to the floor as she ran to the front door.

"Ginny!" Mrs Weasley cried, as her sons stared after their sister who by now had wrenched open the front door and had flung herself at the black haired boy who hadn't even had time to knock.

"Oh Harry." Ginny gasped as she planted kisses all over Harry's face, who stood there and relished the affection. "What are you doing back here?"

"Ginny, Harry come inside." Mrs Weasley ordered as she ushered them in doors. "Quickly dears."

Mrs Weasley quickly put up the wards that Ginny had breached and sat back down at the table heavily.

"I came to see how everyone was."

There was a grieving silence in the kitchen at the Burrow that made Harry uneasy. Suddenly Mrs Weasley burst into loud sobs making Harry swallow the lump in his throat awkwardly. Ginny laced her fingers in Harry's.

"She's always crying." Ginny whispered as Mr Weasley led his wife out of the kitchen. Fred and George looked up at Harry and gave him a weak smile.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry.." Harry stopped as his throat choked up. He cleared his throat. "I mean, I wouldn't have come here if I didn't..." Harry stopped again, frustrated. He didn't seem to be able to say what he had to. "Coming here was dangerous, I know, I'm sorry but I had to see how you all were." Harry let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and smiled at Ginny as she squeezed his fingers.

"Nice of you to come here, though Harry." Fred said as he offered Harry a chicken drumstick, which he politely refused.

"Aw come on, you look like you haven't eaten in months."

"That's because I barely have." Harry replied, rubbing his neck gingerly.

"Have a drumstick." George said as Fred threw one at Harry, which he caught with his reflexes.

"How have you all been?" Harry asked as he took the seat next to Ginny's. She joined them at the table and sighed.

"Mum won't stop crying and Dad's kind of just shut down completely." Ginny answered in a small voice. Harry nodded, unable to say anything.

"We're all doing alright though. I have my other brother's to keep me from going crazy." Ginny whispered and Fred patted her on the shoulder.

"Where is Ron?" Harry whispered and again, everything froze. Fred cleared his throat.

"We sent him to St Mungo's until we can get him a proper funeral, where you can all be there." Fred picked at his drumstick thoughtfully. "Say, how is your mission coming on?"

Harry could sense the twins desperate attempts at keeping off the topic of Ron so he gladly went along with it.

"Fine, we're almost ready to complete it." Harry took a bite of his drumstick and swallowed quickly. He seemed numb to the taste.

"Good because we're all dying to get our hands on Voldemort. He's infiltrated Hogwarts."

"He's what?" Harry asked, letting his mouth drop open. Ginny chuckled at his expression. "We've been expecting it but not this soon.."

"Fancies himself the next Dumbledore." George let out a long sigh. "We can all tell the battle is going to be at Hogwarts."

"How can this happen?" Harry groaned.

"Have you managed to defeat all Voldemort's...what are they called?"

"I can't say the word, it might be tabooed if I say it."

"Oh. What letter does it begin with?"

"H."

"Horcruxes?" Ginny suddenly piped up, and all three boys stared at the red head. Ginny blushed. "Hermione told me about them before you all left." She shrugged and took a swig of pumpkin juice.

"We have two more. We know that Nagini, his snake is one but we have no clue what the other is."

"Perhaps you're one, Harry?" Fred joked, taking another bite of his drumstick. George scoffed and Ginny giggled.

"How ironic would that be." Harry piped up, letting himself have a little laugh. Laughing hurt. It didn't seem right to laugh when his best friend wasn't there to laugh too.

"So what did these Horcruxes turn out to be?"

"Tom Riddle's diary-" Harry noticed how Ginny shuddered. "His father's ring, a diadem of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff's cup, Slytherin's locket. We managed to destroy them."

"You haven't destroyed anything from Gryffindor." Fred pointed out.

"We noticed that but we don't have a clue what it could be."

"You're a Gryffindor." George said and everyone in the kitchen seemed to freeze, only the sound of the Weasley clock could be heard. "It would make sense..the night he tried to kill you.."

"There is no way you're a Horcrux Harry." Ginny whispered, her voice trembling. "You can't be."

"It's probably something like Gryffindor's sword." George tried to add helpfully but Harry shook his head.

"The sword destroys them."

"Buggar." Fred swore.

"Draco thought there was a pattern-" Harry stopped abruptly at the three pairs of round astonished eyes. _Oh shit._

"Malfoy? What the hell do you mean Malfoy?" Fred let his drumstick drop onto his plate with a thud.

"Well he's uh, been helping us."

"Helping you?" George exploded, his eyes going wide.

"Yes, he's changed, he's.." Harry hesitated. "He's different. He took an Unbreakable Vow that he was on our side."

"Really?" Ginny asked, slightly in awe. Harry nodded.

"Damn, that wanker can be useful after all then." George laughed as his siblings joined in, and eventually Harry.

xxxxxxxx

I am so incredibly sorry at how late this chapter is – I've had so much on. I know I keep saying that but it's true. I'm kinda lagging in this fic because I've sort of come to a dead end – well it's just taking me a while to figure out how to finish it. It's no where near finished just yet though :) thank you to everyone who is still reading and waiting patiently. I'm not entirely happy with this chap though but oh well. Please review :-)


	16. Chapter XVI: Knox

**Chapter XVI: Knox**

Draco sat on the sofa in the tent with Hermione tucked under his arm, the bright white light of Draco's lumos illuminating the one side of her face. Her head rested on his chest and kept sliding down a few inches with slumber before she jerked herself awake again.

"You should get some sleep."

"I can't. Harry-"

"-is a grown man. He's more than capable of looking after himself should anything happen to him." Draco reassured, his fingers lazily toying with a stray curl of her dark hair. "If he wasn't, the whole Wizarding World wouldn't have so much faith in him defeating..._him._"

"I know but he can be a bit..." Hermione struggled for the right word. "Eccentric if something was to happen. He's with Ginny and if anything happened to her, he'd go off on a rampage without thinking through the consequences."

"Potter is stupid at times then, basically." Draco smirked when Hermione threw him an upside down glare.

"Don't insult him, he just hasn't got much common sense at the best of times and even he knows that." Hermione sighed wistfully and laced her fingers with Draco's.

"I appreciate the reassurance, though." She smiled upside down at him and nestled her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling the clean masculine scent of his skin. "Would you like to read? I have some books in my bag."

Without answering, Draco pulled her body up closer so their faces were level with each other's. Hermione flushed under his heated stare and he leaned in, as if to kiss her, but he travelled down below her lips to place tender kisses on her neck.

Hermione instantly froze with tension and excitement, unconsciously leaning in to his touch, his hand on the small of her back and the curve of her hip. She twisted around so she was straddling his waist as he continued to slowly kiss at the deliciously tender skin of her neck.

"I take it you don't want to read?" Hermione breathed, her voice hitching whenever Draco found a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. Draco grumbled a reply but the words barely made it through the heated haze Hermione found herself lost in.

She laced her fingers through his silky peroxide hair and shifted herself so she was directly on his lap, his pleasure pressed up against her in a way that made her throb with anticipation and desire. Draco couldn't help but chuckle against her skin at the reaction, his cool breath ghosting across the scorched invisible kisses on her neck.

Hermione began to unbutton his shirt, almost forcefully ripping it off his body altogether. She pressed herself against his naked chest and began to kiss at his neck in the same manner he did hers. Draco groaned with approval. She slowly began unbuttoning her shirt at the same time, but an impatient Draco torn it from her back.

"Gods." Draco breathed as he delicately ran his fingertips over her black laced breasts and Hermione found it even harder to concentrate. Draco wandlessly vanished their clothes, leaving them both completely naked. Hermione flushed, embarrassed, trying to cover herself up from the exposure.

"You've never done this before, have you?" Draco whispered and Hermione shook her head. "Are you sure about this? I mean we can wait, this is a bit fast-"

"Be gentle." Hermione instructed with permission, as he slowly moved her hands away from herself and placed a kiss on her collarbone. He, with a slight hesitation, lifted her up from under her arms and placed her back down on him gently, and Hermione whimpered from the slight pain.

They sat there for a moment, Hermione breathing heavily with her eyes closed, trying to shift herself comfortably. She moulded her thighs and knees against Draco's body and opened her eyes, her hands either side of his head, stroking at his hair.

"Dim the lights, Draco." Hermione whispered, leaning down to kiss under his earlobe and press her hips more against him. They both missed the glowing of a Galleon on the coffee table as Draco whispered;

"Knox."

xxx

Mrs. Weasley came rushing into the kitchen, a frantic panicked look on her face, ultimately upsetting the peaceful calmness of the occupants at the dinner table.

"They're here."

The kitchen of the Burrow went into a state of uproar and panic – the twins had already grabbed their wands and took off for the front door to confront the Death Eaters that had breached the wards, Ginny had instinctively ran to her mother and Harry had whipped out his wand, standing protectively in front of mother and daughter.

"This is all my fault! How did they find me?" Harry roared.

"It's not dear, it's not-"

"The taboo!" Harry yelled frustrated. "I stupidly thought the word "Horcrux" would only work if I said it, but Ginny said it in the end."

"So this is my fault now?" Ginny fired angrily and Harry shook his head frantically.

"No I didn't mean it was your fault, it was mine. I didn't know." Harry hung his head. "I'm so sorry."

"Harry honey, we know. You need to get out of here." Mrs. Weasley tried to give Harry a poke of encouragement but he whipped around angrily.

"I'm not leaving you!" Harry shouted at Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, whom ran at Harry and embraced him.

"You have to. We'll get out of here. The Death Eaters must have breached the wards, perhaps we can disapparate?" Ginny looked eager but when she grabbed hold of her mother's wrist and Harry's they ended up sprawled on the floor. Ginny looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"They've severed all means of escape. The ties to apparation have been cut and the Floo network has been closed." Mrs. Weasley sobbed.

Harry pulled at his hair in frustration. He'd give all the money in the world for Hermione and Draco to be here right now to help him. _Money. _Harry remembered the little gold Galleon in his back pocket. He took it out and tapped it with his wand three times, praying that Hermione had noticed her Galleon glow with warning.

"What's that?" Ginny asked as Harry placed it back in his pocket, but before he could answer they were interrupted.

"Potter!" Someone snarled from the doorway and Harry had to push his girlfriend and her mother onto the floor again painfully to avoid the cutting hex.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Harry cried, the Death Eater's wand flew into his hand the same time he fired a "S_ectumsempra!_" from both his wand and the Death Eater's. He was dead immediately. Harry snapped his wand.

"There's more! At least a few dozen." Fred cried as he came thundering into the kitchen, panting heavily with a bloody arm.

"Oh my boy! What happened?" Mrs. Weasley cried as she ran towards him but he shook her off.

"It's nothing. Just a slice to the shoulder. I have to go help dad and George but Harry..." Fred turned to Harry now. "There's too many."

"I'm coming." Harry and Fred raced down to the front door and ripped themselves outside, stumbling slightly on the uneven grass in their haste.

"Ah there he is. I knew you were hiding him." One of the Death Eaters whom they didn't recognise snarled.

Harry fired a Sectumsempra at him but it missed, and Fred ended up Stupefying him successfully. Fred whooped in triumph before he suddenly froze and slammed into the ground. George screamed before he followed suit. One after the other like bowling skittles the Weasley's crashed to the floor. Before Harry could recover from the horror and the shock he too went crashing to the ground, completely immobilised and now wandless. Harry had to inwardly release a breath of relief as he realised they were all body binded.

"Take them to the castle."

xxx

I hope you liked this! My first ever attempt at a love scene so I hope this went well. Completely embarrassed to post it, of course. ;) I had no idea what to name this chapter and also I've gone through the rest of the story and changed any mistakes. _Please review, thank you for the ones I've had so far they're so appreciated!_ :-)


	17. Chapter XVII: Their Home Their Sanctuary

**Chapter XVII: Their Home, Their Sanctuary.**

Hermione and Draco dozed on the sofa, their naked bodies hidden behind a thin cotton sheet summoned from Draco's bed, their heads side by side. Hermione's sweet breath tickled Draco's face out of his sleep and he blinked rapidly.

He looked down at the sleeping girl beside him and smiled fondly. Draco ran a delicate fingertip over her cheekbone before tracing it down the length of her arm to her knuckles, where he glanced down and spied their entangled legs. It was from Hermione's toes resting lazily on the edge of the coffee table that he acknowledged the soft tender golden sheen that seemed to radiate the dark tent like sunlight.

Draco picked up his wand from off the side of the couch and used Accio to summon the glow to his outstretched hand, having already assumed it was an object of some kind. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment when he realised it was a Galleon. He rolled it over his knuckles thoughtfully, his other hand absent mindedly running through Hermione's locks.

"Hermione." Draco called out softly but firmly as he continued to watch the glow, which he soon realised shone bright then dimmed, shone bright and dimmed, like a warning beacon. _Potter._

"You need to wake up!" Draco almost bellowed frantically, panic suddenly in his throat as he snapped himself out of his frightening epiphany, untangling his legs from hers.

"Hey, you don't have to shout." Hermione gave him a sleepy smile and snuggled closer to him.

"Granger, there's a bloody Galleon in my hand and it's glowing."

Hermione shot up off the sofa like a firecracker.

"Harry! He's in danger!" Hermione shrieked, re clothing herself with a swish of her wand. Hermione frantically tried to re clothe him only half in concentration and ended up trying to put his shirt arms through his legs. Draco corrected himself with half an amused chuckle and flipped the Galleon over to her.

"How long has this been glowing for?" Hermione cried, as she zoomed all her things into her bag and flung it over her shoulder.

"I don't know, I only noticed it when I woke up." Draco shrugged, watching as she swished her wand over it, muttering an incantation.

"They're at the castle!"

Hermione and Draco apparated onto Hogwart's grounds only a minute or two later. They wasn't really surprised to find that the anti-apparation wards were down – more than likely to allow the gangs of Death Eaters onto the premises.

"God it's _awful_." Hermione whispered, lacing her fingers with Draco's as they stood side by side and looked up at the castle, their school, their home, their _sanctuary_ and watched as the ancient antique architecture crumbled away. Most of the towers were ablaze with FiendFyre, the tiles and debris falling to the ground. Hermione knew as she was standing there that many of their side were burning in the towers, because not even the roar of fire could block out their tortured screams.

"I can't see this." Draco whispered, yanking his hand away from Hermione's to lean his forehead against the roughness of a nearby tree. "I can't watch this."

"You've already seen it. We can't undo what we've seen or what's happening, but we can stop it. We need to find Harry."

"No! Don't you _get _it Hermione? **I** made this happen! I told them how to get in!" Draco punches the tree, making Hermione jump with a start.

"How did they get in?"

"Vanishing cabinet. There's one in the Room of Requirement and the other's in Borgin and Burkes." Draco winced at the sound of his own mechanical voice.

"What's done is done." Hermione said resolutely, peering back at the castle, her heart breaking.

"How can you say that Hermione? How can you stand to be near me after I caused all this?" Draco yelled, and Hermione had to quickly cast a silencing charm on them before someone heard him. She stalked over to him and grabbed him sharply by the shoulders.

"Listen to me, Draco Malfoy. You did _not_ cause this! Do you hear me?" Hermione practically yelled in his face and he visibly flinched at her tone, his jaw clenching at being yelled at. Hermione smoothed her voice; "Now, we _need _to find Harry. He's in danger. And my guess is the rest of the Weasley's are too. We should split up-"

Hermione's voice was drowned out over the sudden blast that ricocheted through the air, the force of the blast knocking them off their feet. They clutched at each other in fear and peered around the side of the tree, only to scream simultaneously at the sight of half the castle collapsing, leaving only a gaping, burning ruin in the midst of mass destruction.

"Oh God this is really happening isn't it?" Hermione sobbed, clutching onto the front of Draco's shirt. "Oh, _Draco_."

"Hermione. Harry, remember? Calm yourself down, pull yourself together and let's _go." _Draco only felt momentarily guilty at being so harsh, but that was quickly squashed by the sudden look of Gryffindor bloody bravery on her beautiful face that sent his heart surging with pride.

He grabbed her by the hand, their palms slick with sweat of fear and dragged her behind him carefully towards the castle.

"Draco _wait_. I think we should split up." Draco stared at her.

"Bloody hell Granger are you serious? I'm not letting you out of my sight for one second-"

"You know you have to. It'll be easier and quicker separate. Together we'll be constantly watching each other's backs and the whole process will take longer."

"No-"

"You don't have a sodding choice! If doing this means we save Harry then-" Hermione yelled but she was instantly cut off by the soft barely audible whisper coming form her lover.

"And what if it doesn't save us?"

"It's a risk we must take." Draco pulled a hurt look at her words. "This war is bigger than the both of us and Harry is bigger than us all. You know it's the right thing to do." They stared at each other, silent, while Draco calculated her words.

"I know, it's just...If I were to lose you..."

"I know." Hermione stroked his cheek before letting her hand drop to face the castle again. "We can apparate into the castle now- what's left of it- and I think we should meet up again in an hour."

"I'll take the west wing-"

"It's gone."

"Okay, I'll take whatever part I can get into-" Draco glanced around but by now the dust in the air was too thick to see through.

"Same here. Try the dungeons first Draco." Hermione fished around in her pocket. "Take this coin, rub it three times if you're in danger. Mine will activate. If I rub it three times, yours will activate." Hermione handed him a coin and he slips it into his pocket. "If it's rubbed twice, it lets the other know that they're alright."

"So, this is it." They stood staring at each other before Hermione fell into his open arms, clinging onto every part of him she could get. They silently took turns burning each other into their memories more and more. Each other's scent, taste when they kissed, feel when they ran their hands over every inch of each other, the sound of the other's breathing, like if they did all this then maybe, maybe they'll stay alive. Gasping for air, they tore away regretfully from each other's lips and stared at each other, drinking in each other's faces.

Hermione let out a strange squeal and removed Harry's coin from her pocket. She let out a sob.

"He's activated it again. We need to go." Hermione whispered.

"Hermione, I _will_ see you in an hour. Make sure you're here." Draco kisses her once more before tearing his lips away from hers, his breath ghosting her lips for a moment as he whispers; "_I love you." _

He was gone the next second.

"_And I love you._" Hermione whispers to the empty air, his presence lingering but not really there before she too turns on the spot and disappears through time and space.

This is one of my favourite chapters so far and I really hope you like it :) Don't worry, we find out about Harry and the Weasleys in the next chapter :) Thanks so much for the reviews lovelies! X


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